Always the last to know

On Saturday evening I rambled my way through downtown Cincinnati with 20 others to support the work of 'Invisible Children'.

'Invisible Children' is a documentary that chronicles the plight of the Acholi children caught up in the 19 year old conflict in northern Uganda. Many children walk long distances every day to their nearest town to sleep. In doing this their hope is that they will not be abducted or killed by the rebels. Night commuting has created problems of its own - increased sexual activity amongst youths which has led to a rise in the spread of HIV. Other problems are a general lack of resources for these children - few blankets, poor sanitation and so on.

Unlike the Ugandan children, my token gesture felt like an adventure rather than a burden. That was until I discovered that I was the only person who did not know we would all be sleeping outside. Luckily I managed to scrounge some plastic off a stranger. I can't say I really slept - the rain did not let up all night and my face and feet were constantly damp. Lots of people left throughout the night - calling friends or family to pick them up because it was unbearable.

One question struck me - what happens when you don't have an option? Or rather when the only 2 choices you have are to stay in your village and risk being abducted by rebels or walk miles to the nearest town and sleep in the cold? How do children stay positive when these are the only choices life has to offer them? Indeed do these children stay positive? Or do they despair and give up?

I hope that this conflict ends soon and when it does I hope that there are people still willing to stand with these children and help them get back on their feet. I hope I.hug can be part of this restoration. When the world is indifferent to the abuse and neglect of thousands and thousands of children it is time to take action.