On April 25, in more than 115 cities and 10 countries around the world, more than 760,000 people abducted themselves from their homes to help support the non-profit organization Invisible Children.

Those involved with Saturday’s Flagstaff event walked in a single line from the Skydome to Heritage Square. Once there, the group of about 200 created signs saying “Save the Children” and “Rescue.”

Around 8 p.m., Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler came to Heritage Square to rescue the Flagstaff group, including Valerie Gilbert, hotel and restaurant management major.

“I attended the event in hope that the public, the media and our leaders will recognize how much their support is needed,” Gilbert said.

All groups that participated in the event around the world went to a central location where they met up and stayed the night until somebody famous or a professional in the media came to save them. 

As of the following day, 20 cities across the country still had not been rescued.

In 2003, filmmakers Jason Russell, Laren Poole and Bobby Bailey discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them: a story where children are both the victims and the weapons.

After their trip, the three filmmakers released the documentary “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” exposing northern Uganda’s use of night commuters and child soldiers. In 2005, the filmmakers founded Invisible Children Inc.

The film was originally shown to friends and family, but soon word spread. Many people were asking how they could help, including Sammy Stevens, an elementary education major.

“Hopefully with the help of our political leaders, they will help the northern Uganda government to save the child soldiers and bring peace to the people of northern Uganda,” Stevens said.

The war in northern Uganda in considered by some to be one of the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today.

For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been waging war that has more than two million civilians. 

Ninety percent of the LRA is made up of children taken from their homes by Joseph Kony and his followers. The LRA attacks have become more frequent over the years.

The latest attack was in December, when the LRA launched an attack against the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The LRA murdered more than 600 people and abducted more than 160 children to fight in their army. 

More than 104,000 Congolese have been displaced since Christmas in attempts to escape the wrath of the LRA.

In the last two years, more than 900,000 of the 1.8 million displaced have returned to their homes. Access to clean water, economic opportunities, health centers and education are still a pressing concern for northern Uganda. 

Forestry major Jared Wesley empathized with those who were displaced.

“I’m at a complete loss of words for what these children and families have to go through,” Wesley said.