Blog Updates and inspiration

Last week two individuals independently defected from Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic. On January 6, a young Central African mother came out of the bush near her home community, Fodé, with her two sons who are just nine months and three years old. She was abducted by the LRA […]

Every child abducted by Joseph Kony’s rebel army is robbed of his childhood and a normal life — until he escapes. This is the story of a new beginning.  It was around 5 pm on a day in 2002 when the LRA rebels arrived at Kennedy’s homestead. He was only nine years old, sitting with his […]

Every child abducted by Joseph Kony’s rebel army is robbed of his childhood and a normal life — until he escapes. This is the story of a new beginning. The LRA rebels forcibly broke down the door of Odong Francis’s house in the middle of a January 2000 night, when Francis was 10 years old. […]

Every child abducted by Joseph Kony’s rebel army is robbed of his childhood and a normal life — until he escapes. This is the story of a new beginning.  When Okot Aldo Kilama was 13 years old, he was abducted by the LRA in the middle of a 1998 night as he was sleeping in […]

Every child abducted by Joseph Kony’s rebel army is robbed of his childhood and a normal life — until he escapes. This is the story of a new beginning. Almost 10 years after he was abducted into Joseph Kony’s LRA, Ochora Walter is happy to finally be home. The rebel group forced Walter to fight […]

Abductions by Joseph Kony’s rebel army have contributed to thousands of missing children throughout East and central Africa. This is a story of ones still missing. “I lost two of my sons to the Lord’s Resistance Army,” said Odong Santos. Okello Denis, 16 and Odong Francis, 13 were abducted in 1997. Denis was in his […]

As we announced on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, the largest defection of LRA combatants since 2008 occurred in Central African Republic last week. The “Zemio 19” was made up of 9 men, 4 women, and 6 children. How they lived Invisible Children’s team in Central African Republic had a chance to debrief with the 9 […]

Children that have been subject to extreme physical and psychological violence at such a young age need special care to overcome their trauma. So this holiday season, we’re celebrating a new kind of gift: Play Therapy Kits for children recovering from the trauma of LRA violence and abduction. It is a huge victory every time […]

Invisible Children partnered with Discover The Journey (DTJ) to make a film with communities affected by the LRA, for communities affected by the LRA. They Came at Night shows two perspectives: those escaping the LRA, and those welcoming them back into the community. The goal is to show communities in LRA-affected regions that defection, reintegration, and forgiveness are the most promising way to […]

BREAKING: LARGEST LRA DEFECTION SINCE 2008 On the 6th of December, nineteen LRA defected en masse near the community of Zemio in the Central African Republic. This is the single largest LRA defection since the group moved into central Africa in 2008, and an enormous victory for African Union led counter-LRA efforts. The group was […]