Krystal Wayne encourages readers to help these "invisible children" in Uganda today. Adoptions can be made by individuals, classrooms, organizations or school clubs. Donations can be made through Invisible Children Inc. via the purchase of shirts, the movie Invisible Children, or bracelets made in Uganda.

In 2003 three young men became uninterested with the San Diego life style, so they traveled to the Sudan, then to Uganda, just looking for a story. The story the men uncovered shocked them to the core. So, “with a camera bought off EBay,” (invisiblechildren.com videos, “Who We Are”) Jason Russel, Bobby Baily, and Laren Poole made a bone chilling and emotionally moving documentary about their new, astonishing environment.

In Uganda Russel, Baily, and Poole videotaped the Invisible Children. This 55 minute video created a world movement that focuses on retribution for the thousands of children in Uganda. The subject of the documentary is the helplessness of the youth in Uganda. These children walk 12 miles every night just to find a safe place to sleep in the closest town’s square; these children are known as the Night Commuters. For 20 years these children have been kidnapped and trained in the art of brutally killing for fear of death themselves. For 20 years these children have remained invisible.

For fear of being kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, children do not attend school and the children also commute many miles just to sleep in an overcrowded bus terminal. Though the LRA is dangerous to all Ugandans, they are distinctly targeting children between 4 and 13. The LRA kidnaps the children then brutally kills, rapes, orphans, or trains them to make desensitized children soldiers. The United Nations estimated that 66,000 children have been kidnapped since 1987. The highest average of kidnappings was during 2004, when, on average, 18 children were kidnapped a day. Fortunately, since the debut of Invisible Children, kidnappings and night commuting have virtually ceased. Concerns of possible kidnappings still exist, but a greater ness has arisen.

For two decades Ugandan children have been deprived of education. When all attention rests solely on survival, the government, parents, and the children viewed schools, teachers and education as an unneeded and trivial thing. However, with the deterioration of LRA, education is becoming a must. Unfortunately, with the horrible economy of Uganda, there is not enough money to build schools or pay for teachers.

Other significant problems for the Ugandan youth are malnutrition, starvation, displacement and overexposure to the ailments of nature. Children now fear living hungry, going to bed cold and wet from the rain, and living without parents and without a home.

Again, I implore the readers to help. Much can be dome to supply to devastated Invisible Children with a better life. Anyone can adopt a Ugandan child for $32 a month. Adoptions can be made by individuals, classrooms, organizations or school clubs. Donations can be made through Invisible Children Inc. via the purchase of shirts, the movie Invisible Children, or bracelets made in Uganda. All donations made through the organization funnel back to Uganda to purchase teachers and build schools.

Another way to help would to have been to attend the free viewing of Invisible Children on Friday, April 25th. After the viewing of Invisible Children $1,400 were raised to support the children via the purchasing of T-shirts, bracelets and the documentary. Also, 13 children from Uganda were adopted on Friday night. Fortunately, reader, there is another possibility to participate in a movement that may extend your understanding of the troubles that Ugandan children face. On May 30, Portervillian children are going to walk from Porterville Church of the Nazarene on Henderson to Veterans Park. We will spend the night, then walk back to the Church at 6:30 am and commence to our houses. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people of Porterville to exit the schema in which we live in order to enter into another.