Friday 5: K.I.N. Films

Gaining awareness has been a big deal as we are taking an entire school year to seriously address Kids In Need. I have spent a lot of time reading, listening and watching in an effort to become more cognizant of what human rights issues are taking place around the world. There are various films/documentaries/ film series that have been very valuable for me. I share my top 5 (in no particular order).

1. Slumdog Millionaire: It's a Hollywood Movie with a goal for entertainment, but man this film messed with me. Seeing the lives of 3 children living the streets of India was a real catalyst for me to begin diving deeper to separate fact from fiction.
   
2. Invisible Children: Rough Cut: Three friends set out to find a story in Africa after graduating from college. What they came upon was an untold story with the Ugandan Civil War that is now being told on high school and college campuses all over the nation.
   
   tons more information about Invisible Children here.
   
   
3. Baht: The story of Sophea, a Thai teenage girl trying to put the pieces of her life back together after she was trafficked to Cambodia and forced into prostitution.
   (purchase movie here)
   
   
4. Glue Boys: Just watched this one today. It's a documentary on street kids in Kenya who have become addicted to sniffing glue in order to ease the hunger pangs and find some comfort in their life. It's also the story of how this glue gets to the kids. Our IMPACT Baby Center team will be watching this before we head to Kenya.
   
   Buy the movie here
   
   
5. Invisible Children Bracelet Videos: What makes these videos so powerful is that they connect an American to a Ugandan Child. You hear and see 5 different Ugandan kids' stories through the mouths and eyes of 5 different Americans who travel to meet them. It humanizes all involved and inspires me to do something not because I see a "project", but because I see a "person."