Opinion

Ugandan suffering goes unnoticed

For the past 20 years, the children of northern Uganda have been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), captured and trained to become soldiers and sex slaves in what United Nations officials have called "the largest neglected humanitarian crisis of our day." To escape the threat of abduction and death, each evening 40,000 children "night commute" to nearby congested cities, sleeping on the concrete of sewer closets and hard hospital floors.

Since 1986, almost 2 million people have been displaced due to this crisis, a politico-religious battle for control of the Ugandan government fought on and by brainwashed children. Children become invisible because their government and armies deny they exist. Few records are kept of their age and numbers. Forced to live in the abominable conditions of refugee camps, their devastated situation remains largely unrecognized.

The public is being called upon to open their eyes and ears, hailed by a rapidly growing organization, Invisible Children, which refuses to accept that the tragedy of these children remains unseen. In the spring of 2003, three young men from California documented their journey to East Africa. The documentary captures the tragedy and resilience of these children. It chronicles the shock experienced by these young men as they witnessed the nightly commutes and disgusting conditions the youth of northern Uganda seek out to evade death and capture. Compelled by this horror, they now offer their footage to the public to increase awareness and raise funds to construct a safe community for these invisible victims. The Invisible Children National Tour is coming to Madison Feb. 8-12 to show their film and ask for your help to resolve this crisis.

All donations and contributions from the National Tour will be funneled into two Invisible Children Programs. The Education Program sponsors school fees, from elementary through high school, for the children of northern Uganda to help get them off the streets and into the classrooms. The Bracelet Campaign, an income-generating program, gives families whose lives have been affected a renewed sense of hope by providing the opportunity for self-sufficiency.

With five days of fundraising events, participating in the National Tour should be viewed as an opportunity for you to educate yourself and others. University of Wisconsin student organizations, the UW Village Health project, UNICEF, and the African Student's Association have organized screenings of Charity Chow-Downs and Chug-Downs. Screenings will be offered at the Orpheum, Memorial Union, and Genna's Lounge with a five-dollar suggested donation. Alternatively, if you aren't into film, you are invited you to drink for a cause: proceeds from your binge will provide critical aid.

You are members of the academic elite, and Invisible Children calls on you to use your resources, your education, motivation, and creativity, to be a part of ensuring a future for these children. For UW students, walking up Bascom Hill is a burden. Imagine walking 13 miles every night to sleep in miserable conditions. Silence and inaction will only confound this suffering and invisibility. Be a part of helping raise awareness of this humanitarian crisis. Come see a screening, eat a meal or drink a beer. These children need you. These children will thank you.

Information on events and participating bars and restaurants is available at www.villagehealthproject.org; follow the link to the Invisible Children Campaign.

Whitney Sogol is a UW senior.