KENNEBUNK — While Ugandan child soldiers’ voices are struggling to be heard, the Kennebunk High School club Invisible Children is providing them with a platform to speak.
Student Sarah MacDonald and seven of her classmates started the club a few weeks ago in the hope that they could raise awareness of the central African country’s dire straits.
“We’re motivated by the idea that we haven’t done enough as a country, and it’s not just that they’re not getting any help, but no one knows they exist,” said MacDonald of the Ugandan children, in an interview last Wednesday.
The club will be showing a documentary entitled “Tony,” which captures the life of a Ugandan boy growing up in the midst of Africa’s longest-running war. The film will be showing this Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in the KHS auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
A question and answer session hosted by “roadies,” or volunteers who travel across America to spread information on the crisis, will follow the screening. A Ugandan man named Robert will also be present to tell his story of living in the country.
Having a native Ugandan speak to the audience “gives you a connection to someone who’s been hurting,” said Emily Junker, Invisible Children club member.
Invisible Children is a nation-wide nonprofit with a goal of stopping the nearly 30-year war between the guerilla group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and the Ugandan government, which are both fighting for control of the country.
Junker and MacDonald wear bracelets made by displacement camp residents who are part of a campaign that provides them with jobs producing culturally unique wristwear. The different bracelets represent those who have been killed in the war; those who have died from AIDS; and the children who have been exploited as sex slaves.
“I realized that the fundraising was the important part, not just the awareness,” said MacDonald, adding that what Ugandan citizens need is money, rather than just Americans volunteering to help in villages.
When there are large groups of volunteers without a specific purpose in one village, it causes more harm than good, according to the organization’s website. This is why the group attempts to educate Ugandans to help each other and avoid violence in solving problems.
The “Tony” documentary was shown for KHS students last year, and it was a big success, MacDonald said. The word-of-mouth technique and supportive enthusiasm for the event was what brought success to last year’s showing, according to MacDonald, as club members asked fellow students face-to-face if they could go.
“Teachers have said their students told them the documentary changed their lives,” said MacDonald, on the powerful message of the film.
She recalled talking with KHS varsity boys soccer players last year, who told her they cried while watching “Tony,” which she said surprised her. MacDonald said she expects the attendance to be equally as high as last year, now that classmates are more knowledgeable of the crisis.
“I’m making my mom come to this,” said Mariah Eaton, Invisible Children member, who plans on continuing the club with classmate Haley-Jianna Askew after Junker and MacDonald graduate this year.
“Tony” teaches of the harsh realities of living in an atmosphere of violence, the ignorance of American visitors and how hope can be attained despite tragedy. The film was created when three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in spring 2003 in search of a story. They quickly noticed the difficult lives Ugandans led, and recorded their findings for the documentary “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” according to their website.
After filming the movie, the three men formed the Invisible Children organization.
The outcome of their movement has been the momentum behind the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama and sponsored by all members of Congress. Included in the law is the investment of sustainable peace in Uganda, the apprehension of LRA leaders and the demobilization of child soldiers.
Currently, one million people are living in Internally Displaced Persons camps, providing housing to Ugandans without homes, according to the Invisible Children website.
For more information on the Invisible Children organization, visit www.invisiblechildren.com or call (619) 562-2799.
— Staff Writer Matt Kiernan can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 326, or at mkiernan@journaltribune.com.
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