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A camera purchased on eBay + three college students with an interest to visit war torn Sudan and Uganda = 5 million viewers, the launch of a World Tour, and the establishment of a major non-profit to change the plight of children in northern Uganda and other war-torn areas of the world.

Three friends, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, and Jason Russell set out to find a story to tell the rest of us about atrocities in Sudan. What they came back with is the attached video called “Invisible Children”. It’s an hour long but I implore you to make the time to watch it with family, friends, and coworkers.

The children you will meet in the movie ask the filmmakers not to forget them. They hold hope that the ‘tape’ being made of them can be used to tell their story to the world.  That story is the brutal torture and kidnapping of children ages 5 – 12 for service in the Lord’s Resistance Army. You will see and hear the stories of children who gather together at night to sleep in the middle of town with the hope they do not become the next victim. You will also meet those who have escaped their captors but must exorcise the demons now stuck in their heads.

I was impressed with the maturity and communication skills of the elementary school age children interviewed for the film. This is one heck of a documentary created by college aged kids in 2003.

Starting with one showing at a San Diego community center, the work of these filmmakers, which includes some follow-up documentaries, is finally starting to receive some mainstream attention. Up until now, their films have been shown in schools and churches around the country.

As ‘Invisible Children’ gained momentum, donations from viewers wanting to help the children started pouring in. ‘Invisible Children’ is now a San Diego based non-profit that provides help to the Sudanese refugee camps in Uganada, provides educational materials, instructors, and scholarships for the children of northern Uganda and sells products made by former child captives. Their amazing grass roots story is told in the February issue of Success Magazine.

This week, ‘Invisible Children’ began their international tour to promote their cause to an even wider audience. I hope you will take the time to learn more about Invisible Children and consider following their blog.

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