Ugandan native tells story of crimes against humanity at Invisible Children RSO’s documentary night

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Achiro Fionah came from Uganda to the U.S. to shed light on the problems inflicting Uganda, her home.

When she was 7 years old, her father died; three years later her mother did too. After staying with her uncle for three months, the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel force, abducted him and Fionah has not heard from him to this day.

“The Lord’s Resistance Army is destroying families,” Fionah said to a group of Central Michigan University students at a documentary screening Wednesday evening in Pearce Hall.

CMU’s Invisible Children registered student organization hosted representatives from the national non-profit organization to come to Mount Pleasant to educate students about the situation in Northern Africa.

Joseph Kony leads the LRA, which Fionah said abducts children to aid in their war effort.

“They get boys and make them fight in war,” Fionah said. “And they make the girls sex slaves.”

Invisible Children uses donated funds to set up communication across villages in Congo, to give the people warning when the LRA approaches.

The organization is also establishing rehabilitation centers to help children affected by the war.

“The rehabilitation centers help brothers and sisters that escaped from the jungle,” Fionah said. “Some are forced to kill their own families. The rehabilitation is to help them.”

The RSO meets 7 p.m. every Tuesday in Anspach 152.

“What they’re going through puts my entire life in perspective,” said club President Caitlin Cheevers, a Grand Rapids junior.

Southern California native Alex Alberico said he got involved in Invisible Children when he was in high school. He helped fundraise for the organization and wanted to do more.

Alberico now is an Invisible Children roadie, traveling around the U.S. doing screenings of the organization’s documentary. Fionah and Alberico started a three-month tour through Michigan, Ohio and Indiana starting last week.

“The focus of this makes everything worth it,” Alberico said. “Knowing I’m changing the world, helping kids in Congo.”

Fionah said she was able to find her way after her family tragedies thanks to Invisible Children. She has one year left at a Uganda college studying public administration thanks to the non-profit’s funding.

“I was once invisible,” Fionah said. “Now I’m not because of (Invisible Children).”