By Lindsay Neeley
Two BYU students are working to raise awareness about the trafficking of child soldiers and the horrors of internally displaced persons camps in Uganda by organizing a viewing of the documentary 'Invisible Children.'
The documentary will be shown Thursday at Festival Cinemas, the movie theater by University Mall. Tickets will be sold for $2 each.
'One hundred percent of the ticket sales will go to the Invisible Children Fund,' said Connie Wagner, one of the students organizing the event. 'We will also be having a drawing for gift cards to local restaurants.'
Bracelets from the Invisible Children Bracelet Campaign will be sold for $20 at the theater.
Three California college students started the Invisible Children Fund in 2003. What started as a documentary has evolved into an entire movement to help the children of Uganda as they suffer through a war that has lasted for 20 years.
Warner became interested in the cause when her cousin, Andrea Ellis, had a small house party to show the documentary.
'I was just really effected by the film,' Warner said. 'And I just don''t think that enough people are aware of the situation in Uganda.'
In 2004, Congress passed the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act, the first American legislation to address the disaster. Partially because of the efforts of Invisible Children Fund, peace talks began in Uganda in 2006.
According to Invisible Children, close to 60 percent of the schools in Uganda are shut down because of a lack of resources and teachers. Money for the campaign will go toward helping the schools get the things they need to reopen and to fund the efforts to raise awareness in the United States.
'When you start an organization like this you never know what will come of it,' said Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children, in a news release. 'We''ve poured out hearts and souls into this organization and into the people of Northern Uganda and have been amazed at the results.'
People across the country have gotten involved in the movement, such as Fall Out Boy, actress Kristen Bell, and Guess clothing company.
'The movie ''Invisible Children: Rough Cut'' is not only breaking new ground,' said Jon Turtlraub, director of 'National Treasure,' in a news release, 'but has had a greater impact on my life than any other documentary I''ve ever seen.'