Every night in Uganda, children as young as eight years old are kidnapped directly from their own homes by a rebel group called the “Lord’s Resistance Army.”

The LRA formed in 1987, operates mainly in northern Uganda. The group is engaged in an armed rebellion against Uganda’s government, which has now become one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts. It is led by the self-proclaimed spirit-medium Joseph Kony, who wishes to establish a state based on his own interpretation of Biblical millenarianism.

It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the group for use as guards, soldiers, and concubines. Despite government forced migrations of the civilians, the plight of these people have received minimal media coverage outside of their own country. Not until April 2004 did the UN Security Council issue a formal condemnation.

The story of these abducted children, also known as the “invisible children,” is told through the eyes of four young boys in a documentary titled “Invisible Children: Rough Cut.” The documentary was filmed by Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole, three American teenagers, as they traveled through Uganda and taped the atrocities that they witnessed firsthand.

Sophomore Jonathan Paschal, one of those who helped bring the film to UNCW, thinks that it is a perfect opportunity for the university to help out with a big project.

“I hope that after seeing this film, the students will ask one question, ‘what can I do to help?’ and they will act on that desire. There is much to be done in this world, why not start in Uganda? Why not start now? I believe they will,” Paschal said.

“Thomas, one of the boys interviewed in the film, inspired me. He made a statement that he wanted to become a teacher, and that was where I broke. The first tear came and that made it that much easier. This movie changed me and I want that to be apart of other people’s lives as well,” Paschal said.

The documentary, which is being shown at universities across the U.S. and is a part of a larger nation-wide program, will be shown at March 27 at 7:00 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium.