An organization to raise awareness for child soldiers in Northern Uganda has made its way to campus with the help of some very involved students.
“Invisible Children” began in 2003, when three filmmakers went to Africa in search of their next great documentary. When they discovered how involved children were in the war of Northern Uganda, they found more than a documentary- they found a cause. Only two years after their trip, the first documentary, “Rough Cut”, was completed. In 2006, Invisible Children Inc. became an official non-profit organization.
Invisible Children Inc has traveled to many high schools and organizations, showing their documentary and engaging students with the stories of children their age forced to fight a war they were born into. Kate Finegan , a freshman in biology, was one of those high schoolers just a year ago.
“They came and screened a documentary at my high school, and I started a club there to help other students get involved,” Finegan said. “It’s a really great cause and for me, it’s about the children who haven’t gotten a chance to live a normal childhood.”
Finegan got involved on campus when she heard about some events that were being planned to raise awareness. One of those took place on Monday, when students showed a screening of the organization’s newest documentary “Kony 2012.”
“Their big thing is really just trying to get Joseph Kony put in jail,” Finegan said.
Joseph Kony , the leader of a guerrilla group in Northern Uganda, is most infamous for his mistreatment of children, specifically his order that sent over 66,000 children into sex slavery and war.
According to their website, Invisible Children Inc. focuses less on funding and more on increasing awareness. They call themselves storytellers who try to pressure the government for change by making others aware of what’s going on in Africa.
“We are visionaries, humanitarians, artists, and entrepreneurs. We are a generation eager for change and willing to pursue it,” their website says.
Ian Peterson, junior in public relations, became involved after a trip to Africa and a screening of the organization’s first documentary.
“I’ve been planning a benefit concert with N.C . State’s five different a capella groups; they were all thrilled to participate,” Peters said.
A member of Grains of Time, Peters had an easier time getting his peers to bring the cause to campus. Seeking support from other organizations, however, was more of a challenge.
“It was a lot of effort and getting a hold of Greek life was incredibly difficult. It essentially just became a networking game and then finding people who were passionate enough to help out,” Peters said.
In the end, though, he was successful. The benefit concert for the Invisible Children organization is set to take place on Tuesday March, 20 from 7 p.m . to 10 p.m . in Talley Ballroom.
“To me, if you don’t take basic measures of human decency than you don’t get to claim to be decent,” Peters said. “This organization has had tremendous success in promoting human decency, and I hope to help get the message across with this concert.”