Seventeen years of kidnappings, shootings, and war. Seventeen years of unrest, terror, and insecurity. Seventeen years without happiness, without help, without hope. Seventeen years when no one outside of Uganda knew.

Recognition occurred by accident. In 2003, three pre-college guys from SoCal stumbled upon the story of Uganda’s child soldiers, or “invisible children” as they’ve come to be known, while on a quest for adventure. Armed with a video camera and a drive to find the truth, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole set out to tell the story of these forgotten children and produced “Invisible Children: Rough Cut.” Their film details the history of a (at that time) 17 year long war in Uganda, and the gut wrenching events that befell the vast majority of Uganda’s children.

Beginning the week of March 8, nearly every single Cleveland student, and every single Cleveland staff member saw the “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” at least once.

“(When I first saw the movie) I felt sick to my stomach,” senior Elizabeth Bressler said. “I had a really strong sense of guilt because I had no idea that this had been going on, and I hadn’t done anything to help. I was horrified by the magnitude of it all. I had so much compassion for the kids in the movie; watching them made me want to cry. I was reminded of how incredibly lucky we are, which is another reason why I feel guilty. I have done nothing to deserve this life, and they have done nothing to deserve theirs.”

The Invisible Children story began when Russell, Bailey, and Poole traveled to Africa to have an adventure and try to uncover a story, any story, to bring home to America. After spending two weeks in the Sudan talking to refugees, they decided to move their camp to Uganda for the final week of their trip.

The Terror in Uganda

In Uganda, the boys met a woman named Jolly Okot, who soon became their guide. On their third night there, Jolly drove the three Americans through the center of the town of Gulu, where thousands upon thousands of children, known as “night commuters,” appeared to be preparing to sleep in the streets. Russell, Bailey, and Poole were stunned at the spectacle and, on advice from Jolly, set out to document the scene.

The three learned that if the children didn’t sleep together every night, there was a high probability that they would be kidnapped by outlaws bedecked in automatic weapons. The Lord’s Rebel Army was founded in the 1980s by a woman known as Alice Lakwena. Lakwena believed that the Holy Spirit had spoken to her, and ordered her to protect the Acholi tribe of Northern Uganda from the “unjust” Ugandan government. Originally called the Holy Spirit Movement, the movement steadily gained momentum as resentment towards the national government increased.

After a few years of unrest, Lakwena was exiled by the Ugandan government, and a man named Joseph Kony, who claimed to be Lakwena’s cousin, stepped up to take her place. Kony transformed Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Movement into the LRA by increasing the military aspect of the movement tenfold. With the added brutality, Kony lost the support of the majority of the Acholi people, and chose to take children between the ages of six and 15 from their homes to sustain his movement. It is estimated that 90 percent of Kony’s current army is children.

“(Kony) is robbing children of their innocence and depriving them of their right to grow up with their families,” junior Katie Warberg said.

Though they’re aware of the battle raging within their borders, the Ugandan government is nearly powerless to help. They can’t find Kony, and they don’t have the manpower to guard every single home in Uganda. In an effort to prevent capture, children across Uganda spend their nights crammed together in public spaces like the local hospital, bus park, or even just the center of town. This allows what little military protection is available a chance to save a town’s children from harm during the night. Often, one solitary armed guard is responsible for the safekeeping of over one thousand children.

“We used to go and eat mangos in the forest like that, without fearing the Rebels,” a Ugandan boy named Boni said. “Because in the day we cannot fear, but in the night we can fear. At night we can fear those rebels… yes.”

Equipped with their camera and a brief explanation of the situation, Russell, Bailey, and Poole set out to find someone, anyone, who could speak enough English to shed some light on the atrocity that was appearing before their eyes.

What they found was a boy named Jacob. Jacob was taken, along with his two older brothers, when he was only 12 years old. After seeing their eldest brother killed by the LRA, Jacob and his other brother Thomas set their sights on escape. After three weeks of lulling the guards into a false sense of security, Jacob and Thomas managed to escape the camp and make it to the relative safety of a nearby town, where they were discovered by the filmmakers.

Jacob and Thomas were able to tell the filmmakers many things about life as a captured child soldier. Things like, if the soldiers catch you crying, they kill you, and that one of the first things the soldiers do with the new recruits is select one at random to kill in front of the others, as an example of what will happen if you disobey them.

“It’s shocking what those children witness,” senior Katey Barger said. “I couldn’t imagine being forced to kill, let alone watch someone be murdered. And the fact that Joseph Kony refuses to settle for peace makes me hurt for those child soldiers.”

The three men interviewed other former child soldiers as well. Among them was a boy named Tony, who told the filmmakers that many people had come to Uganda, and promised not to forget what they saw there. Promised to take the story back to their home countries, and tell people. Nothing yet had come of it. Then Tony asked Russell, Bailey, and Poole if they would remember the people of Uganda.

“Do you think that if you can go there you can not forget about us?” Tony asked. “That is what I say, that maybe you will also going to forget about us. But you have a tape. If after one month you can watch and remember about us. Right away.”

They didn’t. Shortly after returning to America, Russell, Bailey, and Poole released a documentary created from the footage they had accumulated in Africa. It tells the story of three young guys who stumble upon a story that needs to be told, and weaves a tapestry of tragedy from the tales of former child soldiers, government officials, Ugandan residents, peace workers, and historians. They titled it “Invisible Children: Rough Cut.”

“Invisible,” the movie states, “because they roam distant battlefields, away from public scrutiny. Invisible because no records are kept of their numbers or age. Invisible because their own armies deny they exist.”

Turning Visible

The three men showed their film to everyone they knew. They started an organization, and began raising awareness about the problem in Uganda. They raised enough money to mass-produce their film, which they sell on the organization’s website. They showed the video to U.S. senators, and organized letter-writing campaigns and “night commutes” in cities across the nation, trying get recognition for their cause.

The film does more than tell the viewer the story of the invisible children, however. It tells those who watch that in order to help the children, the Invisible Children organization needs three things. They ask you to “take the time to tell everyone you know about these invisible children; use the talent inside of you to think of creative ways you can aid these invisible children, and act on those creative ideas. Donate your money. And lots of it.”

Slowly, as the word started getting out, money started pouring in. People started asking what they could do to help. The United States government created a task force specifically to address the war in Uganda. The three guys that sparked the movement tried to figure out what to do next.

In the end, they decided that the organization would dedicate the majority of the money that they raised to supporting what they believe is the solution to the problem in Uganda. They believe that “the problems of central Africa need to be tackled comprehensively, from peace to education.” To do this, the vast majority of the money the organization raises is sent to Uganda to rebuild schools, provide scholarships in a country where there is no public education, provide mentors that help to ensure healthy development of the students, return displaced Ugandans to their original homes, and help formerly abducted child mothers become self-sufficient.

“I think donating to Invisible Children is really important,” junior Aislyn Booth said. “I think that if we disregard the fact that any donation we give can make a difference, then no one will get anywhere. All the small steps or small donations are pushing toward a better future for the child soldiers and the people of Uganda.”

The smallest portion of the money that is donated to the group goes to supporting the organization’s ten road teams. The road teams consist of former child soldiers, mentors to child soldiers and volunteers, all dedicated to continuing to spread the word about the situation in Uganda.

To the Halls of Cleveland

The Invisible Children story came to Cleveland through English teacher Kent Siebold, who learned of the story while making a purchase during the 2008 summer holiday.

“I came across an Invisible Children bracelet with a hand written placard,” Siebold said. “The note explained that the proceeds funded development for Ugandan communities ravaged by the terror inflicted by Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army.  I immediately felt intrigued since I had traveled to Uganda in 2000 to visit family and see the sights… I followed up by spending some time at the Invisible Children website and emailed (the organization) to see about bringing their presentation to Cleveland.”

Though the organization was thoroughly booked at the time, they sent out an email last fall, informing their followers that they were coming to Portland. Siebold and social studies teacher Matt Sten jumped on the opportunity to bring the road team to Cleveland.

“I came into it completely ignorant,” Sten said. “But it sounded high quality and interesting, so Mr. Siebold and I volunteered to try and bring them to Cleveland.”

Booking the team was difficult. The first two dates the teachers requested were already taken by the time Sten and Siebold put in their request. Luckily, after their two initial disappointments, the organization called Sten and offered him the last available spot.

Commencing on March 18, the long-awaited Invisible Children assembly sparked awareness within the Cleveland student body.

Students streamed continuously into the auditorium at the end of second period, until the only room left in the room was taken up by standing stragglers. An incessant buzz of anticipatory chatter was cut off once Student Body President Eleanor Bray opened the assembly by thanking the audience for being there, as well as welcoming forward Invisible Children staff.

Jordan Fatke, a full-time volunteer for Invisible Children, spoke first to the audience, introducing his five other teammates, which included Jacob and Peace. Both Ugandan citizens, Jacob was featured prominently in the original Invisible Children documentary, and Peace is an educator. Fatke also gave a special thanks to the Leadership class, as well as Sten.

Before getting to the core of the presentation, Fatke showed a documentary entitled “The Rescue,” which chronicled the near rescue of Joseph Kony’s 3,000 child soldiers beginning on April 8, 2008. Although peace talks with Kony had failed six times before this incident, many Ugandan leaders had hopes that meeting with Kony on the outskirts of the Garamba forest would bring an end to the conflict.

The original filmmakers, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole went along for the ride, stationed with a multitude of Ugandan dignitaries, peace negotiators and even a U.S. representative in anticipation of meeting with Kony and finally ending the 24 year long war. Their hopes were dashed within five days. Rumored to be a mere kilometer into the forest, Kony never showed his face.

Many of the 200 people who had been positioned outside of the forest were left disappointed, and made their way home. However, Poole, Russell and Bailey stuck around for a few days, trusting that Kony would finally make his way out to speak about peace. It was not meant to be, for the warmonger never came forward.

Many believe that Kony isn’t even in the war to fight for anything anymore, but to merely sustain himself. Without continuing to rain terror down on Uganda (as well as the Central African Republic and the Congo), Kony would be at risk to be arrested and stand trial in the International Criminal Court. The ICC, a worldwide court system established in 2002 in hopes of prosecuting war criminals, hopes to prosecute Kony as the first criminal in their system.

Immediately after viewing “The Rescue,” Fatke began to play a short film, updating the audience on where Jacob has come from since the Invisible Children documentary was filmed. One can recall Jacob sleeping in a bus terminal, constantly moving in order to avoid the LRA’s grasp. The film opened with the line “Invisible because they simply vanish,” and showed how far Jacob has come since his first meeting with Poole, Russell and Bailey. With help from the three filmmakers, who rallied support within the United States, night commuting by children has ended in Uganda.

Following the update on Jacob, Taylor Murdoch, another Invisible Children volunteer, took the stage and spoke briefly on the war itself.

“It’s not spoken about, it’s not publicized…this war needs to end,” Murdoch said. Also, he gave background on the newest endeavor that Invisible Children has ventured into, known as the Legacy Scholarship Fund. The Legacy Scholarship Fund depends on help from Invisible Children supporters. If one donates $35 a month, one can provide a Ugandan child with education (since there isn’t a public school system in Uganda and everyone has to pay their school fees if they want to be educated) and the support of an individual mentor who helps to keep them on track in their studies. As of now, some 90 percent of Ugandan children are not enrolled in school.

After Murdoch’s brief speech, Jacob was met onstage with a standing ovation.

“I think I’m more excited than you guys,” he said. “You are the very people I wanted to meet.”

Jacob proceeded to tell the student body his life story, beginning with his birth in the midst of the war, and continuing to detail his abduction at age 11. Jacob gave perspective on his time spent with the rebel army, saying that the LRA tries to build trust within the children they abduct, while brainwashing them at the same time. Initially, Jacob said he only planned to “stay with [his abductors] for two days” then find his way out. However, he ended up not being able to escape for a little over three weeks. After returning home, Jacob felt as if it was unsafe to stay in the same place he had been abducted from. Knowing that the Internally Displaced Peoples Camps in Uganda were unsafe to stay in, Jacob took to the streets.

“I wanted to be in the middle of the town, where the rebels could not reach,” Jacob said. This led to Jacob’s experience with night commuting, where Jacob and his three friends moved by night, finding places to sleep in the cities, surrounded by thousands of other children. During this time, Jacob met Poole, Bailey and Russell.

“I didn’t know they were making a movie,” he said. Upset when the three filmmakers were to leave him (as seen in the documentary), Jacob remembers their return to Uganda. Poole, Russell and Bailey showed the boys the rough cut of the film, and Jacob recalls not being able to finish the film, “because it was very sad.”

Closing up his story with background on where he is today, Jacob, who is pursuing his dream of becoming a lawyer, enthused that through our help, his “dream is becoming true.”

“I can call myself invisible because I advocate for everyone still invisible back at home,” Jacob said. “Until they all become visible… I am still invisible.”

Finally, Peace came to the stage, where she described her experience with Invisible Children. Peace was born the year that the war started, 1986, and came to be acquainted with the organization through her teaching. Peace attests that education can “stop any world war” and stated that “at Invisible Children, we believe in investing in the future.”

The assembly ended with a few questions from the audience, as well as a call for support from the Invisible Children staff.

Jacob exited the stage with words of kindness for the student body, “All of you here have done something in my life,” he said.

The Cleveland Effect

Cleveland students had strong reactions to the assembly, whether they were favorable or not concerning the organization and its mission.

“I think the assembly really was inspirational hearing it firsthand,” said sophomore Rachael Gernhart. “It has made me want to help out in the future by possibly joining an organization and helping out in person.”

Cleveland’s leadership class was one of the most active groups of advocates within the school for Invisible Children, who along with Sten and Siebold set up the organization’s entrance into the school.

“Basically I’ve never experienced anything so powerful during my entire experience at Cleveland,” said senior and leadership class member Kendra Wisely. “After the assembly you could just feel the unity of the student body… the atmosphere was just overwhelmingly positive and everyone was so passionate about making a difference.”

Before the assembly, Jacob and other Invisible Children staffers met with the leadership class. Leadership students got to meet Jacob personally.

“He is a very relaxed man that knows a lot and is grateful for everything. He was so thankful for the leadership class buying shirts so that everyone had a shirt and almost cried when he saw that,” said Cleveland junior Ben Rosen. “He seemed like we were doing him a favor, but he was really doing me and our school a favor.”

On the other hand, some students didn’t feel as inclined towards the organization’s mission as others.

“I think Invisible Children is a good cause, but I don't think the organization is doing enough to educate young adults about what is actually happening. The documentaries they are going around showing are based on events in the LRA fighting that is over five years old. In a society where so many people are so politically emotional and uneducated at the same time, I think Invisible Children actually misconstrues things,” said Cleveland junior Russell Brown. “I think getting out in your own community and doing something, or actively doing something in another community is a lot more rewarding and shows a lot more courage than just buying a t-shirt… I think Invisible Children needed to talk more about what they were really about: funding private education for the youth of Uganda.”

Many students also were allowed the opportunity to meet Jacob in person, after the culmination of the assembly. 

“To me, actually speaking with Jacob was almost like meeting a celebrity who I really look up to,” said Cleveland junior Leslie Sharp. “Actually interviewing someone who had experienced a lifetime more than I have, and done more than I could ever possibly dream to do was extremely moving to me. I just wanted to hug him and say thank you ... Wait, I did.”

Unfortunately, the fervor that lit up the school for nearly a week almost never carries over into bigger and better things. In an effort to change that, the leadership class will be donating one half of the proceeds from the annual Versus Assembly to the Invisible Children organization. On top of that, Sten and Siebold have formed a club that meets every Thursday at lunch in Sten’s room. The club, thus far 50 students and four teachers strong, is looking to educate themselves further about the plight of Uganda, and then determine what they can best do to help the situation.

For now, no one can deny the intangible sense of purpose that coursed through the school in the days surrounding the assembly, nor can they deny the good will that fueled it.

“I hope we all learned more than just about the plight of those in Northern Uganda,” Siebold said. “While the focus of the story exposes us to the needs of Northern Uganda, the heart of it lies in people making efforts and taking risks to help.  For me, the power of the story comes from seeing people not so different from ourselves open their hearts to what they saw and then acting with creativity and compassion…  Their (Russell, Bailey, and Poole’s) story very effectively promotes human connection and clearly reminds us that our choices matter, not only that you and I can make a difference but that we do…  Further, I hope everyone understands that addressing such problems in the world requires not just money, but larger and larger numbers of people acting as witnesses… drawing a line in the sand, and saying enough is enough.”