By John Waterman

By John Waterman

The Invisible Children non-profit organization set foot on Riverside City College April 28, to open the eyes of students and raise funds for the “Invisible” children of northern Uganda, Africa by way of baked goods.

In order to create awareness, the organization held screenings of the Invisible Children documentary, an educational film that captures the journey of a group of American students to northern Uganda during the spring of 2003.

The organization gave participating students the opportunity to become a part of Uganda’s future by raising funds and asking the question, how far are you willing to go to change the world?

“I think it’s pretentious that people are only paying attention to this tragedy now when it’s been happening for years, we should always be funding people like the original documentary makers to continue in humanitarian trips,” RCC student Nathan Gonzalez said.

The Invisible Children Web Site states that this past year marks the longest period of peace in northern Uganda, Africa as peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistant Army have brought temporary relief to an otherwise disordered country.

Preceding this temporary peace, Uganda has been war torn for the past 20 years, with the Lord’s Resistant Army plaguing the citizens of Uganda.

The documentary itself portrays the “invisible” children of northern Uganda, who have been made to fear for their freedom and their lives as a result of countless abductions of children as young as 6 years old.

Following the abduction these children are then brainwashed and are made to observe horrors that are manifested by the majority of Americans solely on the silver screen.

After the abducted Ugandan children make the transformation from normal Ugandan children to little soldiers, they are then given a firearm and forced to fight for the rebel army they once feared.

The Web Site stated that the film has now been seen by millions of people.

The overwhelming response has been, how can I help?

To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children organization was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.

“What the program is doing is great for the children of Uganda,” said Cheyne Miskulin, United States Army Specialist who is currently deployed in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Miskulin went on to say “I think that the best weapon for the children of the future is their knowledge.”

The Invisible Children non-profit organization is also hosting a concert tour around the United States to help raise awareness.

Bands such as Circa Survive, Pelican and Thrice can be found on the bill.

Many of the bands participating in the Invisible Children Band Tour had positive remarks to say about the organization and the people involved.

Circa Survive were eager to use their music to spread the word about such a revered organization through their Myspace page.

Circa Survive has just released a new song entitled “1,000 Witnesses,” an exclusive song benefiting the Invisible Children non-profit organization.

The Invisible Children Band Tour is coming to town May 27 and 28 in Anaheim, CA at The House of Blues.

The tour continues into Hollywood, CA at the Avalon on May 29.

The Invisible Children non-profit organization will be operating a table at each show in order to raise money and spread awareness for their cause.

For more information on the Invisible Children non-profit organization you can attend one of the upcoming shows, or go to http://www.InvisibleChildren.com.