Several students were present Monday night, to witness the SF State screening of an explosive film, which documents the lives of children who are in a constant battle for survival and in fear of death.

“I think it is really important for students who want to be leaders and want to make a difference to see this film,” said Theresa Navarro, 22, a child and adolescent development major at SF State. “We have a social responsibility as human beings to help one another.”

The film entitled “Invisible Children,” depicts the plight of Northern Ugandan children as they flee their homes, walking for miles through the night in what is called the “night commute,” in order to seek shelter in internally displaced person camps (IDP). These camps are located in larger towns where children are less likely to be abducted by rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to become child soldiers or sex slaves.

The LRA has been engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government for 17 years. According to the documentary, more than 30,000 children, ages seven to seventeen have been abducted from their homes and villages and forced to become child soldiers. As a result, the majority of LRA fighters are children – both the victims and perpetrators of horrendous crimes.

The film screening was sponsored by an organization called United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) at SF state, which is new to the campus this semester. Unicef at SF State, is the campus initiative for the international relief group. According to Navarro, who is the SF State group’s president, the mission of Unicef is to spread awareness about issues affecting children globally, to promote advocacy for children’s rights, and fundraising for outreach programs.

Navarro said the organization has managed to attract at least twenty members so far. Unicef just recently wrapped up a Halloween fundraiser where they raised over a hundred dollars in proceeds.

Unicef vice president, Karen Ariola, 23, said that she travels often and has witnessed the plight of children in underdeveloped countries, which is why she decided to join Unicef.

“People in San Francisco like to think they are aware,” said Ariola, a biology major at SF State. “But if you ask them what is going on abroad, they have absolutely no idea. The conditions of the children in this film are absolutely shocking.”

Megan Ferreira, an international relations major at SF State, said that she was disappointed that more students had not come out to see the film. She said that she was not aware of the situation in Uganda.

“It was a really powerful film, and hopefully people take what they have seen here and tell more people,” said Ferreira. “In our society everyone has become so comfortable, and it is so easy to be naive and to think there is nothing we can do about things. The beautiful thing about human nature is that everyone truly does want to make a difference, and they do want to help, but they just need to be given the opportunity and be shown the way.”

Kailey Chen, 18, an international business major at SF State, said that she started crying in the middle of the film.

“The film made me feel horrible and terrible,” said Chen. “Before this I had no idea about what was going on in Uganda. I think people need to pay more attention to the kids of Asia and Africa.”