On the Job at ICU: Reuniting Families
You may remember meeting Jacob Okello, a mentor from Invisible Children Uganda’s field office in Pader district, through our blog a few months back. At the end of last year, Jacob transitioned into his new role as Invisible Children’s Regional Family Tracing Assistant. Now based out of Gulu, Jacob works directly with formerly abducted persons who recently […]
“Let Him Return Home” // Messages from Mend
Why do we keep talking about “Come Home” messaging? Because it has proven to be the most successful tool in fostering defections from the Lord’s Resistance Army. 89% of recent LRA escapees have said that Come Home programs played a role in their peaceful surrender. Recently, some of the seamstresses at Mend mentioned the desire […]
How to send a postcard to LRA captives
Ending a war by dropping pieces of paper out of an airplane is kind of bizarre. Before working at Invisible Children, I had never even heard of a “defection campaign” before. So hang out with us for a second as we explain what this program is, why it’s the perfect way to rescue more men and women […]
Celebrate every escape // Kony’s wives and child
Celebrate everything. Every escape. Every name. Every life. On April 13, 2013, Clementine and Marie Francine were rescued from the LRA along with one of Kony’s children, a six year old boy. Both women had been forced “wives” of Joseph Kony. Marie Francine, 20, explained that Okello Joseph Kony was not her son but was […]
Intern impact
When we say that Invisible Children internships “Don’t do boring,” we mean it. We’ve given you glimpses at intern life through our intern spotlights, but this time we’re focusing on something different: the work. Invisible Children internships are unlike any other because interns here have the opportunity to accomplish huge, meaningful, world-changing work. See for […]
Is this still a thing?
Behind Invisible Children’s official Facebook page are real people, and I am one of them. And as I sift through the comments on our timeline, this is what I see the most: “Is this still a thing?” The KONY 2012 campaign began and ended in 2012. But Invisible Children has been a company since 2004, and will continue […]
12-year-old girl escapes from LRA and walks 5 days to find safety
The following report comes from Saskia Rotshuizen, our Central Africa Programs Coordinator. On the night of January 12, 2013, LRA forces raided a small community in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). After stealing food and supplies, the group abducted one boy and four girls, including 12-year-old Patricia, forcing them to help carry the stolen […]
Picking up the pieces
“I feel like I just got another baby. I am so excited and always want to know where he is, what he is doing, whether he has had something to eat. The feeling is just overwhelming.” These are the words of Mary, the mother of a young man abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army 12 […]
Saving lives from the ground up
We aim to be efficient – using what already exists rather than building from scratch is one way we save time and resources. As part of our defection and protection efforts in central Africa, Invisible Children recently implemented two major upgrades on FM stations. This past week, IC funded the installation of a 30m mast at Radio […]
Coming Home // life after the LRA
“I am happy to be back home and discover that the stories told to captives to discourage them from escaping were all lies.” Alex was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in 2002 when he was just eleven years old. “Life in the bush was unbearable,” he said. “I was forced to do unspeakable things […]