At Invisible Children HQ, we talk a lot about “the big why” – the purpose that drives our organization and the way we approach our mission of ending LRA violence. We have a few core values that guide our work, make us think, and challenge us to grow. Read on for a glimpse of what makes us who we are.

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In our opinion, it’s way more powerful to be motivated by compassion than by pity. It can be easy to see the urgent needs of LRA affected communities in central Africa and respond out of a sense of guilt. Giving is still helpful, but pity perpetuates a sense of distance, superiority, and the powerful helping the powerless. It cheapens humanitarian efforts by playing into a sense of hierarchy, and it’s not necessarily sustainable. How long will feeling bad for someone be enough to motivate you to take action? We think humanity can do better.

When compassion motivates international work, it energizes rather than drains. We partner with affected communities, instead of just seeing them as victims. We avoid settling for quick fixes that foster dependency. And our higher ideals allow us to dream beyond the problem we’re combatting.

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Believe it or not, our mission is bigger than Joseph Kony. We’re working to take down the LRA because we want to seeing the world transformed by justice and compassion. We’re dedicated to the value of human life, and we believe that where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live. By ending Africa’s longest running war and capturing Kony, we hope to set a precedent for how the world responds to mass injustices. It’s not just about the LRA; it’s about human rights across the globe.

That vision influences how we run our protection programs. We always partner with local community members, and we hand over the reigns through Community Defection Committees. The program empowers communities to receive LRA defectors and create original “come home” messaging. We bridge the gap between fear and forgiveness through films and training, so communities can help dismantel the rebel group from within.

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We strategize to bring about long-term solutions and to create an environment where basic human rights are guaranteed. Our big dreams and wide-scale convictions need to be backed by specific, focused efforts. Changing the world has to start somewhere, and we’re starting with the Lord’s Resistance Army.