Passing the Torch
Dear Supporters, Serving as the Executive Director of Invisible Children for the last ten years has been one of the most tremendous honors of my life. I am humbled to have had such an amazing opportunity to support our mission of bringing a permanent end to LRA violence. Every day I worked for Invisible Children, […]
What The Surrender of Dominic Ongwen Means to Me || By Ben Keesey
Reports surfaced on Tuesday that senior LRA commander and International Criminal Court (ICC) indictee Dominic Ongwen is in the custody of U.S. military forces in the Central African Republic (CAR), and that he may have surrendered voluntarily. If officially confirmed, this will be a defining moment in the mission to stop the Lord’s Resistance Army […]
Out of Alibis: Now is the Time to End the LRA Conflict for Good
For the last 10 years, Joseph Kony has not been an easy man to find. He has crisscrossed thousands of miles of central African wilderness on foot, managing to elude persistent military pursuit and an indictment issued by the International Criminal Court. That is why, in light of the recent LRA Crisis Tracker report placing […]
A letter from Ben Keesey on Boko Haram and the LRA
For the past week I have been out in Uganda working with our Africa leadership team on program strategy, budgets, and operations. It is in these planning meetings where organizational development occurs and where new plans are created. It was in one of these sessions four years ago that our teams agreed to expand our […]
Reblog // When trying to spur change, ‘the greatest sin is boring’
The following is reblogged from Laurie Goering with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. // With efforts to curb climate change bogged down by virtually every mistake in the book – messages delivered in impenetrable jargon, no clear way for individuals to take action, a focus on doomsday scenarios – campaigners might take some lessons from Ben Keesey. He’s […]
Invisible Children welcomes announcement of increased U.S. support to arrest Kony
Late Sunday night, the Obama Administration announced its plans to deploy V-22 Osprey military aircraft to support efforts by the African Union (AU) to end the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and protect civilians in central Africa. The announcement serves as a significant and very encouraging indicator of the Administration’s commitment to help […]
UPDATE // Unconfirmed reports of the death of Kony’s second in command Okot Odhiambo: Washington Post picks up story
On Friday we brought you the UNCONFIRMED reports that senior LRA commander Okot Odhiambo, (also known as “the one who killed the most”) may be dead. The fact that several news outlets have raced to publish the story (getting confirmation of which may take some time- though recent escapees have given further credibility to the accounts) reflects […]
Kunangbangate Belaha receives the 2013 Peace Award during Fourth Estate Summit
Kunangbangate Belaha keeps a list. It’s a reminder of what has been stolen from his community in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and way a to keep track of when it is returned. Kunangbangate, also know as Kun, refers to this list as “the list of invisible children” and on it are the names of children […]
Fourth Estate Summit RECAP // Day 2
Two days down, one to go. Today the Fourth Estate Summit-ers started their morning by hearing from our CEO Ben Keesey, complete with tidbits of wisdom (“You are not defined by what you do or the scale in which you do it. You are defined by who you are”) and embarrassing-ish photos (see below fuzzy background). […]
Update: what is the inherent value of Joseph Kony?
Last Friday, our CEO, Ben Keesey, responded to an open letter from a supporter asking, “How are you promoting the inherent value of Joseph Kony?” He responded and so did you. Below is a round-up of your reactions. “I cannot humanize someone who dehumanizes others.” – Debra R. Berry “It is the belief that one […]