Douglas High hosts Invisible Children screening Oct. 11

On Oct. 11, Invisible Children, a media-based nonprofit devoted to ending Africa's longest running way, will be screening "Go" at Douglas High School.

Invisible Children raises awareness about children who are abducted and forced to fight as soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group currently terrorizing central east Africa.

The Oct. 11 event was organized by Douglas High teacher Dena Jensen-Dugan and is part of Invisible Children's Face to Face Tour, where 11 teams are traveling America and Canada in vans to show films with the Ugandans who are advocating for their communities back home.

Each team is backed by four American volunteers and two Ugandan advocates. The two advocates coming to Douglas High are Pepito and Leo. Pepito had dropped out of school, unable to pay his school fees, when Invisible Children provided him a scholarship after getting to know him during the filming of "Go." Leo was one of Northern Uganda's most sought after teachers when Invisible Children recruited him to be a mentor in the Visible child Scholarship program. Both will introduce the film and answer questions afterward.

Jensen-Dugan is the Amnesty International club sponsor at Douglas High. In addition to sharing other Invisible Children documentaries with her students in Minden, her club has also spearheaded awareness campaigns for Darfur and other global human rights issues.

However, this is the first time that Ugandan speakers from Invisible Children will be presenting at Douglas High, although the Invisible Children team did present last April at LifePoint Church.

"Go" was made in 2007 and documents 20 American students going on an experience of a lifetime: a trip into Africa's longest running war in Uganda. The film will be shown at 9:45 a.m. in the Douglas High gym.

Members of the community are welcome to attend, but they will need to contact Jensen-Dugan at 782-5136 or ddugan@dcsd.k12.nv.us, so the school administration can have an accurate head count of visitors on campus during that day. Visitors must stop by the high school's front office to obtain a visitor's pass.

There will also be merchandise for sale at the event, including bracelets, handbags, and T-shirts, made in Uganda.

With the support Invisible Children receives from its film tours and young supporters, they implement programs on the ground in Uganda.

From rebuilding schools, to providing scholarships and mentors, to building micro-economic village banks in an effort to bolster the war-destroyed economy of Northern Uganda, Invisible Children is holistically approaching the recovery of the devastated region.

For more information, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.