There is something rousing and heartwarming in the thought of a global movement achieving peace and justice through throngs of people, ordinary people, demanding it.
There is compassion that lurches inside of my own heart at the sight of injustice and horrors, followed by a stirring of adrenaline to do something about it. I believe that this comes from being made in the image of God. There is a sense of justice He has instilled within our conscience and emotions which causes our hearts to desire justice for those who are oppressed, who are hurting, who cannot speak for themselves.
This being said- compassion, good intentions, hopeful goals, global movement- while these things can be beneficial, they do not replace integrity.
We cannot let our emotions, our emotional response to a moving piece of media, dictate our discernment.
Allow me to explain.
Starting yesterday evening, I saw a few smattered postings of the movie “Kony 2012” made by the non-profit organization Invisible Children, calling for the arrest of the Ugandan war criminal, Joseph Kony.
This morning when I logged onto Facebook, the movie had gone “viral”.
I realize very quickly that two sides are forming on this chasm of what is becoming a social clamour- either in full-fledged support, or bitter opposition.
As with any organization I would potentially donate to, I want to know that the money being collected is actually going to the stated cause before I donate.
This is where it gets a bit sticky.
First, a look at the actual organization:
There have been countless blogs and articles questioning the integrity of Invisible Children as a non-profit organization. There were allegations that the organization was pouring 23-80% of its funds into the care of previous victims and education of Ugandan children, along with multiple other accusations of the founder and film maker, Jason Russell’s intentions. So many, that there was no possible way for me to discern what was true from the opinions reporters, bloggers, and Facebook commenters.
So, I went directly to the Invisible Children’s website, where, as a non-profit organization, they have to provide something called a 990 form to show how they spend the donations they receive.
They checked out better than I thought.
Of the 13,765,180 monies which they received, $7,163,384 was pumped into “program services.”
That is 53%- not a bad percentage, but, for me, not a good one.
Half being used for “education” and half for film making raising awareness.
And the salaries of the four paid staff members were comfortable, but not excessive, for California living expenses.
As far as how they handled their money, everything checked out…almost.
The following are points of concern:
- On the form it was stated that they have a financial account offshore in the Cayman Islands, United Kingdom. This smells a tad of fish. Any bank account in a neutral, off shore location is a matter of question, however; the question here is whether or not they are using for ease of access OR for shady dealings and money laundering.
- There are seven members of the board, four of which have voting rights (They get to call the shots). This is where it gets fuzzy. These four members are related, two by marriage, and the others by “business”.
- One of the paid board members, Scott Wolfe, owns a private copying company, which the founder, Jason Russell, has some “business relations” with-whether shares, a seat on the board, etc., is not stated. This is the company which the organization orders their supplies from. With all the posters being printed up, you’d have to guess that’s a lot of supplies
- Because all the members are interrelated they could act solely in one another’s interest, there is the possibility that money is simply being funneled in one lovely circle.
- There is no independent organization appraising The Invisible Children’s claimed “program services”. We do not know what their education programs look like, or accomplish.
Though this is all some measure of concern and I would think twice before I donated funds to this organization, it is their message I find to be more troubling in areas.
This is the stated mission of Invisible Children:
INVISIBLE CHILDREN USES FILM, CREATIVITY AND SOCIAL ACTION TO END THE
USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS IN JOSEPH KONY'S REBEL WAR AND TO RESTORE
LRA-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IN CENTRAL AFRICA TO PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
And so I ask you to consider these thoughts.
If all of America, on April 20, 2012 “plastered the town” with posters of Kony to raise awareness, what end would this accomplish?
The movie’s states this would catch the attention of our government, convincing them to retain the 100 US military advisors in Uganda to train their military in the newest technology to find Joseph Kony.
Small problem.
Joseph Kony is not in Uganda.
He has been in hiding since 2006. But, he is (we assume) still in control of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) because they are stronger than ever.
Every time an attempt has been made to find him, there has been a slaughtering in response of children and an escalation in violence as repercussions.
A quick break down, the ONLY things we can do as US citizens are:
- Send advisory troops.
- Donate funds for the victim’s rehabilitation and education.
- Raise awareness.
As the United States, we have no legal jurisdiction in Uganda.
If we did, the simplest solution would be to deploy an army Seals team to dispose of this terrible man, Joseph Kony.
As simplistic as the movie makes it seem, there are more aspects to the problem in Uganda- a major one being the Ugandan army is also corrupt and commits some of the same atrocities as the LRA, save making child soldiers of the village kids.
I am asking you to count the cost.
Ask harder questions of organizations like the Invisible Children- before you donate.
It is easy to sit here in America, and buy a bracelet, or an awesome graphic tee, and have a genuine heart to see change, peace, and justice done…but can we see the consequences of our "activism"? Or the perhaps the effects this will NOT have.
I am not questioning the sincerity of anyone's heart. It is amazing to me how much power and voice our generation truly has when awakened, however, is it in the right direction? Or are we fighting for a goal that does not make sense given the way our country works in regards to foreign affairs?
I do not have a solution. I know that these kids are of the utmost importance, and my heart is to see them rescued as well.
However, we might do better to invest in organizations that provide little more than three million dollars (23%), of their overall net, to an unidentified form of “education”.
