See the Invisible. Hear the Silent.

Imagine this (you may want to imagine this as one of your children, niece, or nephew). You’re 5 years old. What are you doing?

Are you playing tag with your friends? Having tea parties?

 

You wake up one night to the sound of gun shots.

You find that your parents have been killed.

Suddenly you’re approached by an older kid, maybe 10 years old.

They’re carrying an AK-47.

They tell you that they’re the one who killed your parents & that you have to come with them or they will kill you too.

 

You’re walked to a truck and loaded up with other children your age.

They’re crying because they’ve just gone through the same thing as you.

 

It’s very late, maybe 4am. You’re pulled out of the truck and placed in a group.

 

They tell you that you will become killers.
They tell you once you become killers your home won't ever want you back.
One of the solders throws a piece of paper into the air & it lands on the legs of a little girl sitting next to you. The solder says that the rest of you are going to kill this girl by biting her to death and if you refuse you will be killed as well.
Her face will haunt you the rest of your life.
 

One of the children refuses to be part of this.
So they grab him, cut off his arms and legs.
He is laying on the floor bleeding out, screaming.
Eventually the screaming will stop, but you will still hear it.

Welcome to Joseph Kony's Army, you're now a solder of the LRA.

If you’re big enough you’re outfitted with a gun. If not you’re given a whistle and become a flesh shield.

 

You’re then forced to do the same as the person who killed your parents & if you resist, try to escape, you will be killed.

You see this day after day.

 

These are the children of Uganda, the orphans.
 

Are you thinking this is grotesque?

Is your heart breaking for these children?

Are you thinking this can’t be real?