Heading Home: How a Community Rallied to Help LRA Escapees
“We welcome people who have come out of the bush because they are our brothers and sisters. This woman needed assistance with her children and we were trained by Invisible Children to help them to come out of the bush and care for them. She is one of us.” –Emmanuel, Congolese Peace Committee President Just […]
LRA Crisis Tracker Report Indicates Kony May Be Rebuilding
This week we released our newest LRA Crisis Tracker report together with our partners at The Resolve LRA Crisis Initiative. The Midyear 2016 Security Brief highlights key trends in the movements and tactics of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) so far this year. CLICK HERE TO READ THE MIDYEAR 2016 SECURITY BRIEF The […]
UPDATE : 19-year-old escaped from LRA // Walked 11 days alone in the bush to safety
On Saturday a 19-year-old male, Issa Guy Parfait, escaped from the LRA after more than a year in captivity. Guy was abducted in July of 2013 from his home in the Central African Republic on his way back from working in the peanut fields. He was taken along with two other young males and […]
Reblog // Army: Messaging leads to mass defections from Kony
October 2014 Over the summer, defections and releases from the LRA skyrocketed. Almost 100 men, women and children returned home – the most we’ve seen since we expanded our central Africa programs in 2008. The “why” behind those incredible numbers? Successful defection messaging, according to a recent article from Army Times. And we have to agree. […]
A music video about the LRA conflict // Yellowcard + Invisible Children
Our friends who brought us the hit single Ocean Avenue just released a powerful music video that’s all about the LRA. That’s right, we’ve teamed up with Yellowcard. This video accompanies their new track, “One Bedroom.” We think it’s pretty incredible. Watch for yourself: If this inspired you, we need you to take action. This project is more […]
BBC World Service // LRA releases record numbers
Listen to the interview here: This morning, our CEO Ben Keesey and formerly abducted LRA child soldier Ocitti David Okech talked to BBC World Service about the major increase of LRA escapes over the past few months and how Invisible Children is capitalizing on this to get more LRA abductees out. To support the life-saving work Ben and […]
Escape from war // Impact of “come home” messaging
Sometimes, people assume that force is the most effective way to end a war, but this is not necessarily the case. Recent reports from our counter-LRA partners have suggested that the most cost-effective and nonviolent way to end LRA violence is in fact to invest in helping its members to escape. Of course, this is no easy […]
Simon’s decision to go home: six Ugandans escape the LRA
Earlier this month six Ugandans escaped the LRA and returned home to Uganda, including two male combatants, three children and their brave mother. This is their story. Tabu Simon was abducted from his home in Kitgum, Uganda in 1998 at the age of 13 after the LRA killed his father. He has spent the last […]
Invisible Children hosts ‘Come Home’ Symposium in Central African Republic
It’s been a busy few weeks for our team in the Central African Republic (and a little bit of a party), as we hosted a symposium on Come Home Messaging last Tuesday, alongside some major players in the counter-LRA initiative. Come Home Messaging is an effort to encourage LRA defection by using targeted personal messages […]
Let’s break it down – what are you fundraising for, exactly?
As you fundraise for #zeroLRA this season, we want to make it as easy as possible to explain to others what their money is funding. The programs listed below are the ones that our International Programs Department, in conjunction with our offices and partners on the ground, say are the most effective in facilitating the […]