Invisible Children’s programs are designed to support local organizers and community leaders in central Africa who are working toward the safety and wellbeing of their communities. We work alongside these community heroes to establish peace committees, provide them with training and resources, and tools to connect with each other. The goal is to help local leaders more effectively collaborate with one another on strategies that make their communities and the region as a whole safer.

One of the ways we do this is through installing communications tools in remote communities and facilitating regular calls between communities in the region. Representatives on these calls discuss shared challenges and collaborate on solutions. They are able to share information and resources with one another thanks to the communication tools Invisible Children provides.  

An example of this occurred in January, when an epidemic of diarrhea affected many of the children in one of the communities that participates in these regular collaboration calls. At the time, there were no medical resources in the community to help the children recover and prevent the continued spread of the illness. 

The local representative, Dieudonné*, shared his concern about the epidemic during the collaboration call. He asked the other participants if they had any ideas for what to do. 

Thankfully, Francois*, the representative from a community about 80 miles away, had an idea. His community had also recently experienced a similar epidemic and received help from a local medical organization. Francois recommended that Dieudonné reach out to the organization and passed along some contact info. With Invisible Children’s support, Dieudonné connected with the organization and asked for their help. In response, a medical team was sent to Dieudonné’s community to relieve children affected by the illness. 

Thanks to the communication tools provided by Invisible Children, the help of his fellow community representatives, and Dieudonné’s own advocacy, children in his community received the medical care they needed. 

Invisible Children’s programs in central Africa help communities in a remote corner of the world become less isolated. This allows them to address challenges with more information and to collaborate with one another in ways that previously weren’t possible. As a result, communities across the region are becoming safer and more resilient. 

Your donation to Invisible Children helps provide communication tools and support to community peacebuilders. With your help, these local leaders can collaborate with each other to make their communities safe and help each other thrive. Give today to make it possible.

*pseudonyms

Some programs described in this blog are made possible with the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this post are the sole responsibility of Invisible Children and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.