Tai Anderson on Child Soldiers

May 3rd, 2006 5:00 PM UTC
By Tai Anderson

Last summer I was introduced to a rough cut documentary that has been sweeping the globe. The film is called Invisible Children. It tells the story of the plight of children in Northern Uganda who face the serious risks of abduction and being forced to kill by a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army. In response to the threat of abduction, the children of Gulu in northern Uganda have become known as the night commuters or night walkers because they travel, often great distances, to city centers where they can find shelter and safety in numbers. Though this has been happening for over twenty years, the plight of these children has gone virtually unnoticed in the west. The children have been seemingly invisible, until now.

After seeing the film, I took a trip to Uganda to experience firsthand what these children our enduring. I walked with the commuters and heard story after story from children who have had their innocence and youth stolen by this ongoing war. I returned to the United States and talked to our fans about what I had seen. But now, I do it differently. I’m no longer just asking for charity. I’m asking for Justice.

TAGS: The ONE Blog