Seventeen-year-old Ethan Hamilton wants to change the world. So on a chilly spring night last April, Ethan painted a red X on the front of his white T-shirt, packed up his sleeping bag and camped out in a cardboard box on a hill outside Denver, Colo. He and over 67,000 other young people in 10 U.S. cities slept in cardboard boxes to make a statement: They care about bringing awareness to a forgotten group of children in the African country of Uganda. They care about children like 8-year-old Tony, who walks several miles every night to sleep in a damp earthen hallway underneath a hospital. As he drifts off to sleep, Tony has nightmares that he’ll be abducted and forced to serve as a child soldier in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group intent on overthrowing the Ugandan government and wiping out the Acholi people.
Tony’s older brother was abducted and killed by the LRA, one of thousands killed in a 20-year battle between the rebel LRA and the Ugandan government. And in a desperate attempt to simply survive, Tony and thousands of other children commute into cities at night. They’ve become known as the invisible children, and they sleep lined up like sardines, packed into hospital hallways, outdoor verandas and in refugee camps—wherever they can find protection by sleeping in large numbers. Their rural homes offer little safety, so these children travel without their parents into urban areas. And as they fight for space to sleep each night, they must also deal with the overwhelming fear that the rebel army might kidnap them and put a gun in their hands, brainwashing them to be killing machines.
Ethan and thousands of American young people are speaking up on behalf of children like Tony. They’re part of Invisible Children, a grassroots movement to raise awareness and draw attention to the plight of these children, all in an effort to pressure the Ugandan government to take action.
Last April Invisible Children sponsored Displace Me, an event that simulated what it’s like for the children living in overcrowded refugee camps with nothing but a temporary hut to call home. The group hopes that such events will also put pressure on the U.S. government to get involved in protecting the children who live this reality every day.
“The older generations have labeled us lazy and rebellious, but I think we’re being called to start a revolution. People are impressed with this generation for taking the initiative on such an important issue and becoming actively involved,” Ethan explains.
An African Adventure
Invisible Children started with three 20-something students armed with film equipment they’d bought on eBay. Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole went to Africa on a filmmaking adventure, looking for a story to tell. Stranded in Uganda, they found the invisible children. The situation touched the guys deeply and they captured it on film, interviewing children who, with tears running down their cheeks, told what it’s like to fall asleep every night fearing abduction.
The result is Invisible Children: Roughcut, an hour-long DVD that sheds light on these forgotten refugees. Ethan first saw the film in his small-group Bible study. He had actually traveled to Uganda before with a missions team from his church.
“When I saw the film, I immediately thought of children I knew personally who were affected by the war, and I felt a desperate need to take action. I feel a calling to support an end to the war that has destroyed so many lives. The stories I learned when I traveled to Uganda will stay with me forever. So the Displace Me gathering of over 4,000 teens in Denver for a single purpose and a common goal was an incredible experience.”
Lend Your Voice
During the Displace Me event, each person received a few saltine crackers and a bottle of water to sustain her during the evening, all part of the simulation of what life is like for those who live in refugee camps.
“To be totally honest, sleeping in a cardboard box and eating only Saltines and water for a night was a blast, but I didn’t ever forget that it was never anything more than just a night,” Ethan says. “It was humbling to realize that it might just be a one-night campout for me, but there are children who make the five-mile commute every day. They sleep in conditions far worse, and in the midst of all the fun I was having supporting the cause, I never forgot how humbling it was.
“I thought I was one of the very few who knew or even cared about the situation in northern Uganda. But seeing the sheer number of people that showed up to support such a worthy cause, many on their prom night, was really pressed upon my heart. Learning that a video of Displace Me would be shown in front of Congress was really cool. [During the event], the 21 minutes of silence (representing 21 years of war) was a chance for me to be intimate with the Lord in prayer and really call out to Him for action.”
Ethan admits that it’s easy to use the excuse, “I’m only one teenager, what can I do to help a problem on the other side of the world?” But he says his faith has given him courage to know that his voice will be heard. “I’ve seen the accomplishments of the people in Uganda and the ground they’re gaining in the fight against injustice, and I’m constantly reminded of the power of the Lord and His faithfulness to the weak, as in Psalm 10.”
Ethan and the thousands of other teens who gave up the comfort of their own bed to sleep in a cardboard box in support of children an entire continent away are world changers. Alone they are only one voice. But together they’re a powerful chorus, urging justice for those who can’t fight for themselves. Lend your voice and change your world—starting with the invisible children of Uganda. And if not them, then find a cause in your community that you can support.
Ethan’s Not the Only One
I talked with college students Ashley Hancock and Katie Schneebeck at the Displace Me event in Denver. They’re both volunteers with Invisible Children and passionate about spreading awareness regarding the situation in Uganda. Here they share their thoughts on getting involved.
Brio: What was the highlight of the event?
Katie: Being a volunteer and seeing so many people passionate about joining in the adventure to change the world was unbelievably inspiring. I couldn’t help but feel an immense amount of hope. This is what keeps the Ugandan people going; it keeps them alive.
Did Displace Me make the Invisible Children movement seem more real?
Ashley: People can tell you facts and stories, but none of those hold meaning until they’re made personal. Physically going through the event made the life of Ugandans more of a reality than any words could portray. This experience was humbling; I realized we could all live with much less than what we have.
Katie: This event encouraged me to go to northern Uganda. All too often I see Americans in desperate need to get out of their comfort zone and find themselves and their true calling. What do I live for? That should be the question everyone should wake up with in mind. I pray to God that Americans can open their hearts to Invisible Children. They need our help; we’re their only hope.
Why should teens be involved with Invisible Children?
Katie: God put you here to impact other people’s lives. Your purpose is to make life better for other people. For me, it’s become a mission; getting out of that selfish perspective and getting involved with people across the world.
Ashley: If you don’t take action and do something, who will? The bigger the voice, the more impact you’re going to make. Get involved and stay involved in something bigger than yourself.
Wait—There’s More!
For more info on Invisible Children events and a movie screening schedule, check out invisiblechildren.com.
