Protecting the Invisible
Shaina Patel, 17
California
The picture below shows only some of the hundreds of Ugandan children who travel to hospital
basements or city streets to sleep safely each night. They sleep packed together like sardines;
there are so many of them that they practically sleep on top of each other. These children are
the "Night Commuters" of Northern Uganda, caught up in a civil war that has lasted twenty years.
There are an estimated 30,000 of these children, ages 5 to 12, who are forced to walk miles each
night in order to hide from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a brutal rebel force that kidnaps children
to serve as soldiers and sex slaves.
Back in February 2006, two of my friends came over to my house to see a documentary
called Invisible Children (IC). I thought that the movie might be a tearjerker, but I didn't have
expectations beyond that. Little did I know that this documentary would result in so much
more.
The film brought us face to face with a catastrophe halfway around the world that was so terrible it seemed unreal. After seeing the faces of children terrorized day and night by the LRA, and children as young as 5 brainwashed into becoming brutal murderers; how can anyone not be changed? Throughout the movie we sat in uneasy silence, wondering how this twenty-year long war could go unnoticed by the rest of the world. This was the pivotal* point that changed me from being a spectator to becoming an activist.
After the movie was over, I asked, "What are we going to do about this?" Founding the Invisible Children Club at my school was the answer. That night my friends and I started brainstorming ways that we could help the children of Uganda.
Incredibly, our first screening of the film brought in 160 students. Later I arranged for IC representatives to attend our second screening and share their first-hand experiences from Uganda.
Our most significant effort was to organize the first annual Intra-District Dodgeball Tournament, with over 150 students from six high schools. This turned out to be our best fundraiser ever. Not only did we raise awareness and money, we also brought together a diverse group of students—the jocks, punk-rockers, and water polo teams—all "dodging" for the same cause.
After the tournament, a friend came up to me and told me how amazing it was to see our whole school uniting under a single cause. Being part of something so significant was an amazing feeling that drove me to do more.
In order to raise even more awareness and money, we sold custom-designed Invisible Children t-shirts and buttons that soon became a fad throughout Leland High and even reached the local middle school after we presented Invisible Children to their classes. Within five months we had raised over $2,000 through various fundraisers. The money raised will help educate the innocent children who have the misfortune of being born into this terrible war.
In addition to school events, I had the opportunity to organize the official IC Global Night Commute in San Jose last April, which was one of the best experiences I have ever had. This event encouraged Invisible Children supporters to sleep on the streets for one night to symbolize what the children in Uganda have to go through every single night of their lives. Amazingly, over 150 people from various high schools, colleges, and youth groups came to downtown San Jose, sacrificing their Saturday nights to sleep outside. It was inspiring to see so many sleeping bags scattered across the lawn that night-just like the picture of the Night Commuters above.
By taking a stand for Invisible Children, I found a new sense of self confidence. Invisible Children gave me something to stand for, something to care about, and it helped me find my true passion for helping others.
After learning about Uganda's civil war, I began to wonder what other global problems I have been blind to. The IC project was a eye-opening event in my life. Through IC, I have developed a deep interest in world issues, like HIV/AIDS and human rights, which will never fade. To get more involved, I joined Youth Philanthropy Worldwide and the Global Citizens Corps. Both groups helped me start the Invisible Issues club, which raises awareness at Leland about pressing global issues that need to be addressed. All year our club is working to help AIDS orphans in Zambia, with a goal of raising $15,000 by June.
We also implement Global Action Days at our school to raise awareness about AIDS, world hunger and access to education. As a club we promote global awareness and activism, which is essential because our generation is the first that has the technological and financial capacity to eradicate global poverty.
Invisible Children started as just a small idea, but quickly became a huge phenomenon within our school and community. The picture of the night commuters is a constant reminder that, even though I accomplished the goals I had set out for this project, there are still so many other "invisible issues" around the world.
This experience proved to me that it is amazing what you can accomplish once you set your mind on something. The hardest part is getting started; but now I know from experience that once you put your ideas into action, the opportunities are endless.
*Pivotal: of critical importance
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