Global Night Commute was a worldwide event organized by the makers of the film ''

Invisible Children ''Invisible Children'' is a 2006 American documentary film that depicts the human rights abuses by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. Synopsis In the spring of 2003, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole traveled to Africa to document ...

'' through the organization

Invisible Children, Inc. Invisible Children, Inc., founded in 2004, is an organization to increase awareness of the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Central Africa, and its leader, Joseph Kony. Specifically, the group seeks to put an end to the practices ...

It took place on April 29, 2006. Youths from around the world walked to city centers and spent the night in parks to show support for

Ugandan }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

children who walk every night into city centers attempting to avoid capture by the

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Co ...

(LRA).

Overview

These children, between the ages of 3 and 17, from

Acholiland The Acholi people (also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amuru ...

in Northern Uganda, are referred to as "night commuters". They walk up to 20 km (12 mi) from

internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. ...

camps to larger towns, notably

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and larg ...

, in search of safety from the LRA. The Global Night Commute was similar to other initiatives raising awareness about the plight of the children in Acholiland like the

Gulu Walk Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

that took place in over 40 cities internationally in October 2005; however, the Global Night Commute took place on a much larger scale. Over 58,000 people signed up to participate in the event, but over 80,000 attended in total; it took place in 130 cities in seven countries. The goal of the event was to raise awareness and ultimately end Africa's longest running conflict by facilitating a change in the policies of the United States government. The slogan for the event is "On April 29th, we gathered. To make a difference. To end a war."

References

World Magazine Article on Global Night Commute

External links

Invisible Children
Event photographs
Flickr Collection

Columbia, South CarolinaPortland, OregonWashington DC
Press
Students join Global Night Commute in Washington, D.C.
''

The Johns Hopkins News-Letter ''The Johns Hopkins News-Letter'' is the independent student newspaper of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Published since 1896, it is one of the nation's oldest continuously published, weekly, student-run college newsp ...

'' {{Invisible Children Inc. 2006 protests Invisible Children Organized events

Overview

See also

References

External links