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About 25 UW-Whitewater students attended a Chicago rally last week aimed to raise awareness for the child military in Northern Uganda.
Invisible Children Incorporation organized the rescue campaign that took place April 25 to May 1.
"The aim of the organization is to raise money for and promote awareness on child soldiers in Uganda and ways to put it to an end, ultimately," said senior Ashley Petry, who attended the rally. The effort is to help eliminate the practice of forcing children into the military, a process that began more than 20 years ago, Petry said.
"They not only want their children back, but they also no longer want to live in fear," she said. "It's difficult for them because they are voiceless, but through members and supporters of Invisible Children we are able to use our freedom of speech to be the lost voice."
The rally included a scenario in which participants played the part of an abducted child soldier to attract media attention. Four goals had to be reached before rally members would be "rescued."
"One, we had to raise enough money," freshman and participant Ashley Woda said. "Two, there had to be enough media coverage, and three being a well-known person of influence had to come to the rescue location,"
Senior Tony Dobner said another goal that had to be reached was getting letters to U.S. politicians asking legislatures to take an active role in helping children soldiers.
"We're asking leaders not for charity, but to work with the international community, to cooperate with the national community to resolve this crisis," he said.
Woda said Chicago was the last city to get rescued, but after participants from places including Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Mexico got rescued, supporters came and waited with the other sites for their rescue as well.
"When all 500 of us returned from Indiana after staying the night at a church, we went back to Chicago and went straight to Oprah's Studio," she said. "We all surrounded her studio until we got notice from her and when we did, we took up the first seven minutes of her show."
Woda said Oprah brought the Uganda's child soldiers rescue plan to the world's attention and she promoted the organization and how the children can be saved.
"Among other strategies to rescue Uganda's child soldier is a movement to have been branched off of Invisible Children is Schools for Schools," she said. "This system plans to rebuild schools in Uganda equipping them with better resources and surroundings."
Woda said on June 22-23, the Invisible Children Organization plans to hold an international meeting in the University Center to discuss ways to help put an end to children militants.
"Something that is often said in the United States is that Children would never be used as targets, but in Uganda the opposite is taking place," Woda said. "Through all the past and future awareness techniques used by the Invisible Children its good to see there will be a continuing progression."
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