Impossible is now a dare. The Rescue

June 2009 | Christina VandenHengel, Managing Director, Invisible Children Australia

On 25 April 2009, Invisible Children hosted an overnight peace vigil that was held in over 100 cities, in 10 countries around the world. The event was called 'The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers' and brought over 80,000 young people out of the comfort of their homes into their city centres to be 'abducted for the abducted [child soldiers]'. This was a chance for those who feel that the atrocities committed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) should not be allowed to continue in Northern Uganda and northeastern DR Congo. By raising our voices and using the power of the masses to advocate for an end to this 23-year long conflict, the youth of the world were believing in the impossible, the idealistic dream that justice can triumph.

In Sydney, over 1,300 peace-makers made their way across the Harbour Bridge, in single file, stepping in solidarity with the thousands of child soldiers held hostage in the LRA. Encamped at the Royal Botanic Gardens that night, letters to politicians were written, artworks created and relationships built while a 'Rescuer' was awaited to give their prominent voice to this inhumane situation. Around 8:30pm Damien Walshe-Holwing from the hit TV show Underbelly took the mic and delivered his promise to advocate alongside the Sydney 'abductees' for the capture of the LRA's rebel leader, Joseph Kony, and the rescue of his child soldiers. A powerful moment for all those present, Damien's words were the start of great things to come, both here in Australia and internationally. The next afternoon, myself and teammate Collin Samson were interviewed live on Sky News, and more exposure for the cause came with an article in the South Sydney Herald, a mention on Channel 7's Sunrise and an interview on ABC radio. "From little things, big things grow…"

Because of the worldwide staging of 'The Rescue' we have seen communities and their leaders raise the banner of human rights in the arenas of child soldiering and the LRA conflict. Oprah herself rescued the city of Chicago, after 6 days of participants sleeping out in the freezing cold, and spoke about the situation live on her show. This just confirms the power that young, peace-minded people do have, and that all it takes is a little determination (and some sleepless nights) to inform the world of what we care about. Due to the momentum of 'The Rescue' the 'LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009' has been presented to the US Senate, backed by 2 Senators. Who knows where this will all lead, but we do know that our voices have been heard and that we will keep on speaking until these 3,000 child soldiers are returned home, and the conflict is brought to an end, with Kony brought to justice. 

This awareness event could not have occurred in Sydney without the forty-plus volunteers who gave up weeks of their time to ensure that this important stand for human rights was pulled off. (And that's just ONE city! Each Australian city, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney had teams of 20 to 50 volunteers! Not to mention the 100 other cities internationally…) From those who cooked our volunteers dinner or organised port-a-loos, to those who did the dirty work of endlessly calling news stations or scouted for cheap stationery, there is no way we could have done this without you! Your efforts and dedication to seeing an end to this deplorable violation of human rights speaks volumes for your characters, and I am proud to have volunteered alongside such beautiful idealists as yourselves!

As one of the abducted stated emphatically the morning after 'The Rescue'…Impossible is now a dare. So, I dare you. Become involved in the story that is changing lives all around the world, giving visibility to the most invisible of children by turning apathy into activism.

For more stories on 'The Rescue' both in Australia and internationally, or to check out the work of Invisible Children in northern Uganda and watch our newest film 'The Rescue', please head to our website at www.invisiblechildren.com