200 take a stand for Uganda's kids

PROVO — Many demonstrations expected to pull hundreds from the community would have a definite parking problem if the proposed venue was at a local elementary school — unless it was Global Commute Night.

Nearly 200 individuals gathered Saturday night at Farrer Elementary School in Provo to stage a peaceful demonstration against the exploitation of children in Uganda. The protest was a part of a nationwide movement called "Global Commute Night," which demonstrators were supposed to travel to on foot from their homes. Demonstrations also took place in Logan and at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake Saturday night.

"We have more responsibility than just to the people that live in our boundaries," said Ryan Ribeira, a Brigham Young University student who helped to organize the protest.

The demonstration started at 7:30 p.m. and continues until 7 this morning. "Commuters" traveled to the school and wrote letters to their congressman and senators, made art projects and watched a documentary called "Invisible Children."

The Invisible Children organization began its global awareness effort several years ago when three college-age students traveled to Uganda to find a story to make a documentary about. The students discovered a trend among most children in Uganda. In the evening, the children commute to safe places — like hospitals — where they can be safe from militiamen who would likely kidnap or torture them during the night. The children only stay the night, then go back home during the day.

The Invisible Children organization began touring around the country, showing their documentary on college campuses, gathering support and spreading information about the Global Commute Night.

Tanya Porter, a mother from American Fork, found out about the movement from the Oprah Winfrey show. She looked up the group's Web site, www.invisiblechildren.

com, and found out about Provo's GCN.

"I'm not one of those people who can hear about bad things and not do anything," Porter said, with her 5-year-old son on her lap. "If I didn't have kids, I'd be on a plane, but I do. So I'm doing what I can."

Donell Willey, a social studies teacher from Lakeridge Junior High School in Orem, heard about the Invisible Children documentary from one of his students. After watching the film, and feeling the need to become involved, he and 20 students walked to the demonstration from the University Mall, a distance of about four miles.

"(After seeing the documentary) one of my students said to me, 'Mr. Willey, 95 percent of the things that I think about during the day don't have meaning anymore,' " Willey said. "That was one of those moments. For me to hear that girl say that was a breakthrough."

Though Saturday night's demonstration was the first of the GCNs, Ribeira said the group plans to continue with nationwide benefit concerts and fund-raisers.

"This is only the beginning," Ribeira said.

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com

Comments