University of Cambridge

Representatives of the Invisible Children charity will lead a discussion on the war-affected children of Northern Uganda as part of the Gates Distinguished Lecture Series today at 6.30pm in the Gates Scholars Common Room at the University Centre. The lectures are open to any member of the University.

The talk will be preceeded by a screening of the charity's new film, The Rescue. It focuses on the growing crisis of child soldiering in the civil war between the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) and the Ugandan Government.

The war has been going on for over 23 years, which makes it the longest running war in Africa. Some 90% of the rebel LRA are children. Some are as young as five years old.

The Invisible Children charity began in 2003 when three student film-makers from San Diego went to Uganda in search of a story to document.

They found a war which most people were unaware of as it had received little political or international attention.

They were particularly concerned by the plight of children caught up in the war who were being abducted from their families to join the rebel army.

The fighting is estimated to have displaced over a million people in Northern Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo and led to the massacre of thousands.

Reproduced courtesy University of Cambridge Office of Communications