Invisible Children Research... One Day to be an Essay...

• Many child soldiers all over the world. Uganda hardest hit. 30,000 abducted without a trace
• Brought to attention when three college boys went to visit Uganda and revealed the reality of the people there.

• War in Uganda 23 years between LRA and Government of Uganda
• 2 million civilians caught in the middle
• Gov't isnt strong like the US government. Try imagining this situation here. We are very lucky. If a child goes missing here National Guard media. When the abductor is caught=jail time
• AIDS crisis has left many children without anyone to provide for them. They go missing and few notice= invisible children

• 1980's Alice Lakwena believed a spirit spoke to her to overthrow the Ugandan government because they were unjust to the Acholi.
• Strange beliefs. Go into war with sticks and stone and the holy water would protect you. HOLY SPIRIT MOVEMENT
• many followers and group gained momentum
• Lakwena was exiled (expulsion from land) and cousin Kony took over- LRA
• Kony didn't receive the same support from the Acholi people
• Dwindling approval → abduct children into the ranks
• 90% ranks are children
• 5-12 year olds
• easiest to train- persuade. Teach the kids to kill and be very violent. Many girls who are abducted are raped and given as wives to commanders

• 1996 Ugandan Government put people in overcrowded camps for protection – instead came poverty disease and starvation NO JOBS
• Children were still being abducted = Night commuting to verandas 1000's of people

• Conditions improving step by step
• Night commuting ended- sleep ins in the US change being made from people like us. You can help change the world
• Many peace talks
• International attention → help
• 2001- US Patriot Act declared he LRA a terrorist group
• 2004- Ugandan Crisis Act – US to provide more aide to Uganda
• 2005- ICC International Criminal Court put out an arrest warrant for Kony and top 4 commanders.

• As things were improving things then started to slip. Dec 24 2008 LRA adducted 160+ and murdered 600 to show power
• Also in 2008 Kony agreed to meet for a peace talk but then never showed up
• People continue to live in fear
• The progress already made is proof that we have the power to continue the fight to end this war and send kids home