It has overjoyed and humbled me to see the popularity of this campaign. It's completely taking over my news feeds on social media unlike anything Invisible Children has done before. All that time and effort towards awareness is finally paying off, and it's amazing to be apart of it!
Nearly 6 years ago I was invited to a screening of Invisible Children: Rough Cut. At the time I never imagined what I was getting myself into, but when the lights turned up at the conclusion of the presentation that night, I knew my life was forever changed. I'm not sure I've ever been so effected by any piece of information in my life than that of the existence of Joseph Kony, the Lord's Resistance Army, and the child soldiers. I was heartbroken and angry. How was this happening? How were we letting it happen? I knew at that time, because I had gained knowledge of that indescribable horror, I was now responsible for it.
At first I felt hopeless, like I was just another bleeding heart white kid who could only wear an activist t-shirt to make themselves feel better about their privileged life. Many of my family and friends scoffed at Invisible Children's efforts, and wrote it off as a scam. Others simply didn't want to hear about another tragedy in our world. It's quite easy to rationalize and justify your apathy when it seems too big or too complex to care.
But I stayed with it, and with the help of a few close loved ones, we continued our support of the Invisible Children movement. We joined the thousands of people like us who would not tolerate the LRA's terror, and tried to spread the word whenever and where ever we could. We held screenings, gave bracelets and shirts as presents, and we even marched the streets and waited to be "rescued" by our local government as part of the Rescue Me protest in Salt Lake City.
My brother-in-law, sister, and I also got to visit the Invisible Children headquarters in Gulu on our visit to Uganda in 2009.
It was during that trip that my eyes were really opened to how truly amazing the organization is. There are charities on every corner in Africa it seems, but most of them fail because they don't support sustainable practices. Invisible Children, however, does it right. The money they spend on awareness in America truly creates sustainable change for those who really need it. They've learned that catchy slogans, amazing graphic design, and clever movies can spread awareness that facilitates a better world. Regardless if you disagree with that tactic or not, Invisible Children is making a difference that I've seen with my own eyes.
For nearly the last decade, the Invisible Children organization that we so proudly stand with, has helped end night commuting in Gulu, created worldwide awareness of the LRA, participated in peace talks, and put in place inspired programs to help create sustainable change in Uganda.
Please join me and pledge your support in the Kony 2012 movement! I've ordered my kit, have you?
peace,
k.
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