News

Lyndelle Lawrence
Public relations editorial intern

The rescue of "abducted" Avondale College students and others at Hyde Park Barracks Museum in Sydney this past Sunday (April 26) has raised awareness of "invisible children."

The group of 137 comprised students from the college and young adults from Regeneration, one of the Bible-study groups at Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church. They were participating in "The rescue," an overnight camp organised as part of an international campaign by Invisible Children. This is a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), his child soldiers and the ongoing war in northern Uganda.

"When people are aware of something like this, they are presented with two choices: to act or to ignore," says Josh Brown, an Avondale alumnus and a member of the Regeneration leadership team.

On Saturday, more than 1000 participants marched from Bradfield Park across Sydney Harbour Bridge to a mock LRA camp on the Fleet Steps at the Royal Botanic Gardens. While the rally simulated conditions experienced by abducted child soldiers, it also consisted of writing letters to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith and other politicians in New South Wales, creating art projects as part of a presentation to the parliament, and contacting various media outlets.

The participants then marched to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum where they spent the night waiting for organisers to raise four flags. Each flag signified: a minimum number of letters written-2000 in total; a minimum amount of money raised; the arrival of a cultural leader or "mogul"-actor Damian Walshe-Howling; and media coverage. At around 5.30 am on Sunday, all four flags were raised, symbolising a successful "rescue."

The rally took place across 100 cities in 10 countries. It aimed to "put names and faces" on the child soldiers. More than 90 per cent of the LRA's troops are children kidnapped, brainwashed and trained by Kony, who, according to Invisible Children, "insists they are fighting for the Ten Commandments."

Avondale became involved when Invisible Children representatives from Sydney presented a video screening of the lives of child soldiers at a Regeneration meeting. Josh and his wife, Kim, who is also a member of the Regeneration leadership team and a final-year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching student, knew they had to do something.

"We have a practical side to Christianity," says Josh. "We like to see action, not just talk about it." "This is just one small, specific example that represents bigger problems in the world that are not in the media," says Kim. "We're standing up for something that Jesus would stand up for."

Caption: A group of 137 Avondale College students and others joined 1000 mostly young adults in "The rescue," which raised awareness of northern Uganda's "invisible children."
Credit: Kim Brown

Click here to read Lyndelle's first-person account of "The rescue."