It’s #GivingTuesday! Time to snap out of that Thanksgiving food coma and look alive. We have an ambitious goal to raise $10,000 by this Friday, and we’re going to need your help.
Our dedicated and courageous staff in central Africa are eager expand our Early Warning Radio Network into communities that have been hit hard by LRA violence near Congo’s Garamba National Park. $10,000 would enable us to expand the Network into one new community. However, thanks to a generous donor who has offered to match every #GivingTuesday donation to Invisible Children up to $10,000, we have the chance to expand the Early Warning Network into two new communities in central Africa — but we have to raise $10,000 to make that possible.
That’s your mission: Help us reach our $10,000 goal. The great thing is that we’re in this together, and we have some truly amazing folks in our corner. On that note, we’re honored to introduce you to that very generous matching donor. He’s a dear friend, fellow justice advocate, and a new father to a beautiful baby girl. Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Michael Poffenberger.
To kick off #GivingTuesday, Michael wanted to send you a personal message:
Dear Invisible Children Community,
I’ve been one of the privileged few who’ve had a front-row seat to Invisible Children’s work over the past ten years.
In 2004, I first traveled to northern Uganda as an idealistic peace studies student to conduct research about the LRA war. The shocking and largely unknown violence I witnessed there came to define the next decade of my life, as I moved to Washington, DC and co-founded The Resolve, a political advocacy organization focused on bringing an end to Kony’s atrocities. Around that same time, three young filmmakers from southern California happened to return from their own trip to northern Uganda and made a film about Joseph Kony’s crimes that spread across the United States. Our approaches couldn’t have been more different, but somehow complemented each other, and we began working together to share the story of how LRA atrocities were impacting thousands of children and families across East and central Africa.
At first, only a few members of Congress even took meetings with us. There were days (many days!) when it felt like a lost cause. But gradually, more and more American citizens — particularly young people — awoke to the reality of this grave injustice taking place on the other side of the world. They spoke up, again and again and again, and leaders in Washington followed suit. And then on May 24, 2010, I found myself in the Oval Office — standing shoulder to shoulder with those same three filmmakers — as President Obama signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act into law and committed the United States to protect vulnerable people in Africa from the LRA’s brutal atrocities. It was a watershed moment, made possible by thousands of Invisible Children activists.
In the years that followed, I helped Invisible Children and their supporters hold President Obama to his word. I also traveled to central Africa and witnessed the incredible programs Invisible Children is implementing, and heard from local community leaders about how their Early Warning Radio Network is saving lives. As recently as 2010, news about the LRA’s movements and attacks didn’t often reach neighboring communities in time to make a difference. Today, civilians at risk and international leaders alike can respond immediately to prevent attacks and help communities in need — all thanks to a system created with donations to Invisible Children.
Last year, I transitioned out of my role in Washington, but I am finding my own way to keep helping. I’ve joined Invisible Children’s Board of Directors, and am proud to do everything I can to help these go-getters carry the mission forward. If you’ve met them, you know it too: their lights shine bright, and they are making enormous headway in a critical mission.
We’ve seen incredible progress. LRA killings have dramatically decreased; but Kony’s violence has not been ended. Fighters who remain loyal to Kony are migrating into more and more remote and inaccessible areas, attacking communities in search of abductees and supplies, and now also poaching a dwindling elephant population to sell ivory.
I believe in the excellence and importance of Invisible Children’s work, and I believe justice demands that we see this mission through to completion. That is why I’ve also decided to commit a significant percentage of my income to support Invisible Children’s work, starting with a matching pledge of $10,000. Today through Friday, I will match anything you donate to Invisible Children, dollar for dollar. That’s how much I believe in them, and in you. The absolute best and most inspiring people I have met are Invisible Children supporters. I humbly invite you to join me in contributing this year.
-Michael Poffenberger,
Devoted member of the Invisible Children’s Board of Directors
JOIN MICHAEL IN SUPPORTING INVISIBLE CHILDREN’S WORK DONATE TODAY
We couldn’t be more grateful to Michael, and to you, for what your generosity has enabled us to accomplish. Please continue to stand with us and our teams in central Africa. Celebrate #GivingTuesday by donating to Invisible Children today.
Click here to learn more about the impact that your donation will have, and click here to learn more about what Invisible Children has been up to in 2015.
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