Invisible children Alliance Club hosts moving presentation

September 22, 2008 — by Apeksha Sharma and Rebecca Nguyen

Imagine walking down a dirt road barefoot among shards of broken beer bottles. Imagine losing a friend to enemy fire every day. Imagine not being able to see your family again. Imagine all this when you’re only being nine years old.

In Uganda, 1.8 million children are being forced from their homes to fight against the Ugandan army. For them, it’s either kill or be killed. A rebel group named the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony has taken most of these kids from their homes at the ages of 5 to 14.Not only has Kony destroyed lives, he has destroyed schools. Most of the kids in Uganda don’t have a plan for the future. Lucky for them, hope is on the way.

Imagine walking down a dirt road barefoot among shards of broken beer bottles. Imagine losing a friend to enemy fire every day. Imagine not being able to see your family again. Imagine all this when you’re only being nine years old.

In Uganda, 1.8 million children are being forced from their homes to fight against the Ugandan army. For them, it’s either kill or be killed. A rebel group named the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony has taken most of these kids from their homes at the ages of 5 to 14.Not only has Kony destroyed lives, he has destroyed schools. Most of the kids in Uganda don’t have a plan for the future. Lucky for them, hope is on the way.

Here at SHS, the Invisible Children Alliance club is raising awareness of this dire situation. Last year a total of $3 million was raised from high school and colleges all around the United States, with Saratoga High raising money at a movie screening last spring.

This years event was a screening of GO held Tuesday September 16. The event, held in the McAfee brought in almost a full house and made profit of $100 from donations and half the money came from the bracelets made by Ugandan kids. Two representatives from the Invisible Children organization answered questions from the audience had and was able to get people thinking about how fortunate they are.

“[The kids are] basically orphans, they don’t have parents or supervision and they’re being infiltrated by people trying to make them into child soldiers,” said Katta,“I think they obviously don’t want to [fight] and there is violence all around them and their friends are being killed everyday.”

Others find this group a good way to give back to the people who’ve lost so much.

“I don’t think it’s fair that they have to go at an early age and fight,” said sophomore Lexie Mullaney. “I think we should all learn more about what’s going on and about the children.”

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