Kony 2012, What They Don't Want You to Know

Have you ever noticed there’s always someone who doesn’t want you to know something.  Seems like everyones trying to hide something from me.  Anyway, I watched the Kony 2012 video yesterday and to be honest I thought it was pretty good.  I like to see Americans thinking outside the box to try and solve one of the world’s problems without throwing billions of dollars down the UN rat hole.  But, as I did some research on the Invisible Children charity, I read several disturbing bits of info.  They go like this:

• ·         Invisible Children only gives 32% of its donations to the direct services to help those it claims to serve.
• ·         Charity Navigator rates them 2 or of 4 stars because they haven’t had their finances externally audited.
• ·         People are upset because the Kony video advocates military intervention to bring Kony to justice risking that many of the children they are trying to help could be injured or killed in the process.
• ·         They spent 1.7 million on salaries and 1 million dollars on travel in 1 year.  (FYI from what I can see they have over 100 people on their staff.)
• ·         What about all the people who need help here in America?

I’m not here to bash Invisible Children.  I don’t know anything about their organization and before this week I had never heard of them.  It’s disturbing to me that so many would immediately begin attacking this organization considering most of those who are criticizing probably never get off their butt and do anything to help anyone let alone these kids in Africa. 

I’d like to briefly address the last bullet point because it is particularly distasteful to me.  I’ve heard this sad expression used by many over the years for various reasons and I’ll tell you it really bothers me at this point.  I hear a lot of guff in the media and from others about the 1% these days.  They refer to corporate fat cats who live in luxury while the rest of the 99% struggle to survive.  Let me share some truth with you.  If you live in America and your family makes 50,000/yr, you are in the top 1% of wage earners worldwide.  Not only in this time but in all of history!  If you make 50,000 you are one of the richest people in the history of the world.  That said, here’s my next fact.  There are no poor in America.  That’s right I said it.  The poorest people in this country live better than many billions of people around the world.  Two billion people on this planet RIGHT NOW live on less than two dollars per day. If you are poor in America, you get free food, free clothes, free housing, free education, free healthcare, and just about anything else a person could need.  Please don’t misunderstand me, these people are in need, and deserve our help but let’s just keep things in context.  So when hear someone complaining that we should be helping the poor here first quite frankly it makes me a bit sick.

Now back to Kony.  In light of what I’ve already said you can understand why I’m happy so see normally uninvolved Americans getting behind a movement like this.  But there is a problem.  Kony exists for a reason.  The governments in this region are incapable of stopping these warlords and the people are so destitute and powerless that they can’t stop them themselves.  But even if we intervene, there will be someone to fill the void when Kony is gone. Does that mean we should just look the other way?  Of course not.

Then there’s the matter of peace and negotiations.  I just laugh when I hear people talking about negotiating to bring peaceful resolution to matters such as these.  It really highlights the foolishness of a culture like ours that has lived in luxury and safety for so long that we aren’t even capable of understanding that men like Kony don’t negotiate.  Their power exists through terror and force. It’s all they know and they will never go peacefully.

All of these factors are important, but there is one critical factor I haven’t discussed.  It’s really the reason that I can’t get behind Invisible Children.  Invisible Children is supporting the use of force to bring Kony to justice and see these children restored to their childhood.  Noble cause to be sure.  But then what?  They are still poor beyond belief, they don’t have a stable govt., they don’t have basic services and no amount of money will fix that.  There are a lot of social justice programs out these days.  It has really become quite en vogue to get involved.  After the limelight fades and the cameras have gone away, these people are without help and without hope.  Hope that only Jesus can bring them. 

I’m praying for Uganda today.  Praying that Kony will be caught and brought to justice.  Praying that people will be drawn to the needs in that part of the world.  But I’m also praying that Christians will get involved and help the MANY ministries that are already operating on the ground bringing the hope of Jesus along with the physical help this tattered part of the world desperately needs.  It’s the only real hope they have.