We are thrilled to share how your support has enabled Invisible Children’s life-saving work with the release of our 2021 Annual Impact Report.
From the Report: A Letter from our President & CEO
Dear Friends,
On the afternoon of February 15, 2021, a Central African woman named Tatiana received word through Invisible Children’s Early Warning System that an armed group was moving towards her community in a remote region of eastern Central African Republic (CAR). Tatiana serves as the Vice President of her community’s local Peace Committee and, as part of Invisible Children’s community protection and resilience program, Tatiana’s Peace Committee worked together with us and the broader community to create a local Community Action Plan that detailed what their community would do in response to potential threats of violence like an approaching armed group. Just as planned, Tatiana and her Peace Committee immediately alerted the community and helped families evacuate to a predetermined safe location. Hours later, as the armed group moved through the community, the population remained safe and out of reach thanks to the swift and smart efforts of the Peace Committee.
Tatiana later told our Invisible Children CAR team, “Without the Peace Committee, our community would have been looted and destroyed. This program saved our lives.”
As harrowing and remarkable as Tatiana’s story is, it is one of many stories of heroic, creative, life-saving action by Invisible Children-supported communities across central Africa. Stories like these, and unsung heroes like Tatiana, inspire our programmatic work and fuel our commitment to building a peaceful and thriving central Africa by supporting local solutions and peacebuilders.
While Tatiana and others like her continue to inspire us, our work is far from finished. The tragic and unjust reality is that the central Africa region where we and our local partners operate remains one of the most isolated and ungoverned areas on the planet. Families and children across central Africa continue to be neglected by their own governments and vulnerable to armed group violence and exploitation. The insecurity, violence, and trauma they have experienced will have ripple effects that could last for generations.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. A peaceful and thriving central Africa is possible if local peacebuilders like Tatiana are given the chance to lead the way.
That is why Invisible Children has made it our mission to end violent conflict by working in solidarity with our world’s at-risk communities. Our programs seek to leverage the resilience, creativity, and expertise that already exists in these communities because we believe that the people most affected by injustice are also best positioned to design effective solutions.
What does this look like in practice? Invisible Children takes a holistic approach centered around two key priorities: community-led violence prevention and community-led peacebuilding and resilience. All of our programs – from locally-run Early Warning Systems and political advocacy to our community-based trauma healing initiatives — are designed to strengthen the ability of central African organizations and community volunteers to prevent violent conflict, help their own communities recover when violence does occur, and build resilient, cohesive communities that are committed to lasting peace. (Pages 9-10 of this report provide a comprehensive breakdown of our program and how they work together).
None of these life-saving programs would be possible without you. As an Invisible Children supporter, you are part of an incredible and vital ecosystem of peacebuilders alongside Peace Committee members like Tatiana, our remarkable Invisible Children staff and Board, and local partners. We are deeply grateful to be on this journey with you and we hope you feel proud of the impact you are making.
Our liberty is bound together,
Lisa Dougan, President and CEO
Read the full report to learn more about how your support has helped central African community leaders like Tatiana build a safer world for their families and communities.
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