2003 is when it all started. Three young and adventurous filmmakers took a trip to Africa for fun, excitement, and a story. What they found changed their lives forever.
Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole grew up together in California as charismatic kids. They lived for fun, excitement, and the embellishment of their film-making skills. They surfed, played games, and lived life to the fullest as boys do. Upon leaving for Africa, they were pumped to go explore and have a good time. They soon realized that they were there for another reason. They saw the atrocity of children being victims of kidnapping and forced to work for the rebel army. They were unwillingly whipped into vicious and emotionless killers. They made a documentary of the debacle, publicly spread the truths about Uganda and other neighboring Central African countries, and began the Invisible Children.
After talking to locals and hundreds of people who knew about the conflict, they found that this brutal war has been raging on for over 23 years. It all began with a woman named Alice Lakwena. She claimed to have been spoken to by the Holy Spirit to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unruly to the Alcoli. Once she was exiled for her rebelliousness, Joseph Kony took over her rebel forces and turned them into the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). His movement did not gain nearly as many supporters as Lakwena's Holy Spirit Movement did, so he turned to drastic measures. He and his followers began gaining members by abducting innocent children and brain-washing them into performing terrible deeds as Kony ordered. They were taken from their families, forced to witness the slaughter and destruction of entire towns, and trained to kill. These children are completely traumatized from their life-changing experiences in the LRA. If they cried or tried to escape, they were told they will be killed. They long their parents, families, and friends, but reuniting seems hopeless to them.After seeing the film, the three young men overwhelmingly were asked "How can I help?" and so the non-profit Invisible Children agency was created. Those who devote their times to the cause travel the Western Hemisphere to gain their unique voices for change. Oh and did I mention that a good majority of these visionary story tellers are teens? Well they are, and they have been touched by the lives of the these abducted children. They spend their time by telling people about the war and the terrible rebel LRA. through transforming apathy into activism, the people and children are being helped and the amounts of deaths and abductions in the war are decreasing.
The Invisible Children also do an immense amount of work in the war-torn countries. The team strives to improve the individuals and the institutions to create better leaders for the future to put an end to this brutal war. Also, they have established radio towers to alert towns if the LRA is near to prevent abductions, become close to the members of even the most secluded towns and learned their most prominent needs, and much much more. Check out their website www.invisiblechildren.com to learn more of what they are about, the conflict, how they are helping the cause, and how to contribute. Remember, every little bit counts. Please return the lives of those affected, especially of the children, back to them. Thank you.
