We Want Peace: The Horror and Hope for Child Soldiers and How You Can Help

Disgusting.

Children holding guns, lined up in uniforms stained with urine, vomit, and blood, not all their own. Children stabbing, raping, looting, torturing. Children watching their parents as they are murdered. Watching their town as it is destroyed. Watching their childhood as it is brutally ripped away and smashed to death.

This is happening now, just as it was happening ten years ago, just as it will continue to happen for years. So where is the media coverage? The press is scared. The world is scared of this terrible monster. Over 300,000 children are currently involved in war as child soldiers, but it is a modest number. It's hard to believe there is hope for them, but, like everything, there always is. And the hope is always growing.

(The video below is a small glimpse into the world of child soldiers and the children running for their lives to avoid abduction)

I love writing editorials. Trust me. But that's not what this hub is about. This hub is my opportunity to share an invisible world, one that is neglected and forgotten, and in desperate need of attention. So, I will let the actions of those more involved speak for themselves, and please, at the very least, send them a prayer.

Standing in front of thousands of people. Dripping sweat. A cheer rises. It quiets. He opens his mouth and the words start to come out. And he's lost in the words of his rap.

Emmanuel Jal was taken around the age of seven to fight in the Second Sudanese Civil War. He was trained for five years and forced to murder as many Muslims as he could. But the worst of it, as he says, are the burning memories of his murdered mother. Worst of all, he was brainwashed so that he could no longer understand the concept of love,and he recalls "many kids there were so bitter, they wanted to know what happened to them. And we all wanted revenge."

But Emmanuel was sent a God-given gift: he was rescued by Emma McCune, an aid worker from Britain. He slowly began the torturing process of healing himself mentally and morally. Emma died a few months later in a road accident and Emmanuel was forced onto the streets. However, instead of giving up hope, he began rapping about his experiences and used what he earned to support other child soldiers. Emmanuel Jal has grown into a worldwide sensation, working with artists such as Alicia Keys. He has written an autobiography called War Child. I would recommend it, but with the warning that it is very graphic. His organization is called Gua Africa.

Invisible Children is the most active organization for child soldiers. Invisible Children is also very unique in that most of its involved community are teenagers. The movement was started about a decade ago by three college kids. They wanted to go find out "meet the rebels and stuff" and traveled to Africa with a camera set and some crazy ideas. What they discovered changed their world- the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the DRC and Uganda was abducting thousands of children for its army. It has been estimated that up to 80% of the LRA is made up of children. After creating their first documentary, Invisibly Children has captivated huge audiences across America. The "Rough Cut" documentary has been described as "Breath-taking," "Life-changing," and "Inspiring beyond belief." They have raised almost two million dollars in their recent campaign. The most interesting aspect of the program is that because most of the supporters are teenagers, there is a lot of different ways to get involved besides paying up. Many volunteer to travel to different high schools and speak to other kids, host showings of the documentaries in their community, inform friends and family and encourage donations, and participate in different campaigns, such as the Day of Silence.