Invisible Children’s LRA Crisis Tracker ad has been eligible for consideration for TED’s annual Ads Worth Spreading challenge. Learn more about the LRA tracker here. In the meantime, help a non-profit out by watching, voting, and spreading: Push play
-Krista
Where do you find these beauties? At the brand new Mend website: www.Mend.co
In case you haven’t heard of Mend then watch this video to learn about this extraordinary program that helps formerly abducted women support themselves and their families.
Mend: The Story from Mend on Vimeo.
Take a minute and take a gander. We are so proud and excited. You just might be too.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very exciting announcement. You’ve all seen the teasers of the new Mend that we’ve been sharing with you over the past couple of months. Well, starting tomorrow, the new Mend is officially here.
Mend is by far one of our most exciting and valuable programs. So watch this video to learn more about the new Mend, and the extraordinary program and the people behind it.
Mend: The Story from Mend on Vimeo.
Over the course of the past few months, Invisible Children has seen much progress on the ground in Democratic Republic of Congo. Because of your generous support, Invisible Children and other NGOs on the ground are able to directly communicate with the LRA. Using fliers created by Invisible Children’s Art Department and FM radio transmissions broadcast throughout the region, several organizations on the ground have flooded LRA-affected areas with defection information. The support you have provided has allowed Invisible Children, in turn, to support defection efforts on the ground.
These are the details that we know so far:
17 defections:
-On October 9th, the LRA released 17 women and children just north of Duru, DRC.
-7 were women, 10 were children.
-3 out of the 7 women were pregnant.
-The youngest child was 7 months old and the oldest was 5 years old.
13 defections:
-On November 2nd, 13 people were released from the LRA near Bangadi, DRC.
-6 were women, 7 were children.
-The women were from multiple backgrounds – Ugandan, South Sudanese, and Congolese.
-Several of the women had been abducted over ten years ago.
-The Early Warning Radio Network broke the news for these defections. These reports served as a support to help mobilize NGOs which facilitate the return process for returnees.
When Obama made the announcement a couple of weeks ago that he was sending around 100 advisory troops to Africa to apprehend and remove Joseph Kony from the battlefield, the decision was met with elation for some and trepidation for others. People did not understand why this decision had been made, and to them it seemed to come out of the blue.
Invisible Children, our partners, as well as our hundreds of thousands of supporters have worked, hard, to make sure that a decision like this was made. So if any of you encounter doubts, we made this video to inform the masses.
This decision wasn’t made out of the blue. This was eight years of hard earned work. There were many political actors, advisers and components involved in the process. From Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton to Senator James Inhofe, this is not just a bi-partisan issue. More importantly, it is a human issue. Please watch and share.
One of the most unique items we have for available for purchase this fall is the Frontline Action Kit. This little packet holds a big punch for its price. It also has everything you could possibly need to inform yourself about Invisible Children and its programs. But while this seems like a effortless well-assembled product, it definitely had a lot of forethought as well as months of planning and designing.
So allow me to introduce you to the three main designers of this project, Tyler Fordham, Chadwick Gantes and Steve Witmer. These are our in-residence graphic designers who make sure that all the products that come out of Invisible Children are well-designed and aesthetically beautiful. Although the three of them collaborate, it’s not often that they get to work on a project of this scale.
So in the first of a two part series, IC|reative breaks down some of the littles that make one big- the Frontline Action Kit- the best thing you can purchase in the Frontline campaign. Starting with…
Our Liberty is Bound Together T-shirt:
(Designed by Chadwick and Steve)
Chadwick:
Originally the shirt said “Liberty for All,” With two hands shaking each other and I actually used the reference from a Whiskey bottle- The Union Whiskey.
(more…)
Have you checked out the Iphone App store as of late? Well, we definitely think you should. Because it just so happens, starting today, the LRA Crisis Tracker App is available to download for FREE. So you can literally track the conflict from the comfort of your own phone.
So download it, rate it, comment on it and then show everyone how it is a literal example of how we can use technology to change lives. No big. -NS
It is an amazing gift to be able to contact our supporters to let them know the extraordinary work that we are doing in Central Africa. But every now and again we are blown away from the stories they tell us. Joshua Causie is a perfect example of this. He is currently serving as a Platoon leader in Afghanistan and still took a moment to thank us for the work that we were doing.
But, honestly, it is because of people like Josh and his commitment to TRI that we are able to do the work on the ground in Central Africa. So thank Josh for not only fighting for his country and trying to change perceptions in his own way but also for truly appreciating the value of what we do as well.
This was his email to us:
(more…)
Some of you may have seen IC|reative’s post on Tyler Fordham and his work on the Protection Flyer.
Well, here’s a video going into a little more detail about how the flyer is actually being distributed and encouraging child soldiers to defect and come home safely. Proof that art can and is making a difference. Spread the word. -NS
LRA Defection Flier from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
If you are interested to see the flyer itself it actually comes free when you purchase the Frontline Action Kit. So along with everything else, the Frontline Action Kit will give you everything you need in order to help spread the word of Invisible Children and bring awareness to the atrocities of the LRA.
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Mission Department Director, Adam Finck, recently returned from the Congo. Before he left we had the chance to get “The Packing List”. Here’s an inside look, inside his bag:
1. First Aid Kit- Just in case.
2. French to English Dictionary
3. Moleskin- Holds a trip’s worth of field notes.
4. Outlet adapter
5. Cliff Bar- On the go meal replacements.
6. Camelhide Messenger
7. Kindle- A month-long battery and countless books will turn any ebook skeptic into Kindle convert.
8. Cipro – When the going gets rough..
9. ID tag
10/11. International cell phone and charger- Useful for cross border SIM-swapping.
12. French-translated IC media
13. Canon 5D with 50mm 1.2 lens – lightweight and great in low light.
14. Business cards
15. 1TB External hardrive – For media assets from the field.
16. RayBans – keep the dust out
17. Passport and DRC Visa – No passport/visa, no trip.
18. Water purification tablets – to avoid item #8
19. Satellite phone- the only way to reach home base in remote areas.
20. One-hand Trekker Swiss Army knife- Useful in life
21. Regional Maps- no google maps makes hard copies crucial.
22. MacBook Pro & Incase pocket
23. Saddleback passport wallet- Holds passport, credit card, currencies, and ID
24. Official papers- Ordre de Mission, travel itineraries, flight maps, and other useful documents
