The plan to protect Africa’s child soldiers

Feb 23rd, 2011 11:46 AM UTC
By Lorraine Chu

Here’s an inspiring story that further proves that it doesn’t take much to make a huge impact. In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa with hopes of finding an interesting story. What these boys from California found, however, was much more than a simple story -– they discovered the tragic realities of northern Uganda’s child soldiers. Their first documentary, “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” was initially shown to only friends and family, but has spread rapidly and has been now viewed by millions.

The Protection Plan from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

The young filmmakers, Laren Poole, Jason Russell and Bobby Bailey, recruited 50 college kids to drive RVs around the country, ultimately screening “Rough Cut” at 1,000 venues. This mesh of guerilla marketing with the urge for social action would soon come to define Invisible Children.

In April 2006, tens of thousands of people took part in Invisible Children’s first international call to action, The Global Night Commute. By emulating the experience of Ugandan night commuters by sleeping outside, The Global Night Commute was able to get the attention of Oprah. Soon after, Invisible Children’s work in Uganda quickly gathered speed. As Laren says, “There was this glimmer of hope after the Global Night Commute. The LRA started negotiations with the government which lasted two years and brought some relative peace.” Invisible Children has since expanded their work outside of Uganda, with the ultimate goal of eradicating the LRA.

Their newest video, “The Protection Plan,” is the first in a series of three webisodes that show firsthand what the LRA has been up to in DR Congo. As Invisible Children states, “The community has literally resorted to taking up arms to protect their children from abduction because the world has remained silent.”

After watching the video, check out invisiblechildren.com to learn how you can get involved.

TAGS: ONE, Video