Although Charles Welch and his children Matthew and Rebecca live half-way around the world from the African nation of Uganda, the Martinez family wanted to bring attention to the danger that thousands of children face in the war-torn country.

Mr. Welch, Matthew, 11, and Rebecca, 16, joined about 25 adults and teenagers Saturday night for the "Global Night Commute," a four-mile walk meant to mimic the difficult journey Ugandan children face every night, said walk volunteer Trent Snyder, 29, of Augusta.

The walk was one of many scheduled nationwide Saturday. In Aiken County, more than 200 students and volunteers joined in the trek.

Although Matthew has biked four miles, he has never walked that far. But, he said he wanted to participate because "it helps the children," he said. "It helps them get noticed."

In Uganda, children as young as 8 must leave their villages and walk to larger towns each night where they are protected from rebels with the Lord's Resistance Army, Mr. Snyder said.

The Lord's Resistance Army has kidnapped 20,000-50,000 children during the past two decades, raping them, turning them into tiny soldiers or killing them, Mr. Trent explained.

The volunteer called the situation "the worst humanitarian crisis going on in the world."

The rebels have been fighting the Ugandan government in a bloody civil war for the past 20 years, he said.

The "Global Night Commute" is a program sponsored by Invisible Children Inc., a nonprofit organization that assists "invisible children" around the world, such as the Ugandan youths who are often turned into child-soldiers and sex slaves at the hands of rebel forces, according to volunteers.

After the walk, volunteers wrote letters to their lawmakers about the atrocities being committed in Uganda, Mr. Snyder said.

The walk began at Heritage Academy near Broad Street and Milledge Road and ended at Broad Street Ministry Center near Sibley Road.

The walk is also a chance to raise awareness about the upcoming film Invisible Children, which chronicles the plight of Ugandan children.

When asked if he could imagine what it would be like to walk four miles each night to escape danger, Matthew replied, "I'll just tell you, it wouldn't be fun."

Reach Kate Lewis at (706) 823-3215 or kate.lewis@augustachronicle.com.