Overnight camp turns spotlight on Uganda’s young casualties




EMPATHY-After walking to the Oaks Christian campus, hundreds of students and supporters prepare to sleep under the stars to raise awareness of the

EMPATHY-After walking to the Oaks Christian campus, hundreds of students and supporters prepare to sleep under the stars to raise awareness of the “invisible children” of Northern Uganda. To avoid capture by rebel soldiers, Ugandan children must walk miles each night to safety outposts. The campout symbolizes their plight. Photo courtesy of Mike O’Connor


Students and their families took a novel approach to help end the 20-year war in northern Uganda, where many young children are kidnapped and forced to fight with the rebel army.

These exploited youth are called “invisible children” because their tragic circumstances have been largely ignored for more than two decades. Students at Agoura High School and Oaks Christian High School staged a Global Commute Night at Oaks Christian, as did students in hundreds of cities nationwide to bring attention to their plight.

Elizabeth Finders, a volunteer with the nonprofit Invisible Children group, said more than 550 people took part at the event. Participants slept outdoors at the school in solidarity with northern Ugandan children. The children fear being hunted and forced to fight, and many of those in school walk long distances every night to town centers where they are safe from abduction. Rather than drive to their homes, participants in Global Commute Night were asked to walk home to understand the challenges that Ugandan children face night after night.

“Literally, I commuted to Oaks Christian High School and spent the night there with many others,” Agoura High School senior Mike O’Connor said. “I came to the event in order to do what the program asked-be involved with the plan that will hopefully let our government know that people care about what is going on.”

O’Connor said he hopes the U.S. government would take action to help the Ugandan children.

Agoura High School senior Renee Amador walked to the school from the First Neighborhood in Westlake Village. She started out with 10 friends, but joined another group of 20 who were making the trek.

“It was really encouraging to see 30 people all walking together, supporting the same cause,” Amador said. “When I arrived at the Oaks Christian football field there were tons of people hanging out, playing Frisbee . . . playing guitars and singing. Everyone was so friendly and there was such a great atmosphere. You could tell everyone was really passionate about Invisible Children. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness, not money.”

The Global Commute Night event was the only location in the world where the film “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” has so far been screened. The film was made by three young Southern Californians who flew to Africa looking for a story. The story they discovered was far more heartbreaking than they had anticipated, and they turned it into a cause.

A press release says the young filmmakers documented the northern Ugandan situation, which both “disgusted them and inspired them.”

According to the nonprofit group’s statistics, more than 30,000 children have been abducted and forced into war either as hostages, soldiers or human weapons.

“The purpose of the event was to raise awareness, not money,” Amador said.

“The documentary ‘Invisible Children’ brought up the interesting point that the children, in the midst of all these violent acts, are still able to dance and sing and live happily, which shows an insurmountable amount of courage,” O’Connor said. “I feel happy that in the midst of our busy lives, we as Americans are able to take the time to put forth such an effort in helping the children in Uganda.”

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