I first witnessed the horrors of African rebel militia in the movie Blood Diamond released in 2006 where Dia was captured and trained by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to become part of the child army. Hence it is valid when others do query, “Why him, Why Now?” in criticising the efforts of the Not-for-Profit(NFP) group Invisible Children that are using social media to raise awareness of the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the evil Joseph Kony. I do not agree with military intervention if it causes the death of many more innocent children, but I believe that the Invisible Children have made a noble mission theirs in making their films and promoting their cause.
From http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble, the author says, “Invisible Children has been condemned time and time again. As a registered not-for-profit, its finances are public. Last year, the organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services (page 6), with much of the rest going to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production. This is far from ideal for an issue which arguably needs action and aid, not awareness, and Charity Navigator rates their accountability 2/4 stars because they lack an external audit committee. But it goes way deeper than that.”
And as an accountant that has been supportive of PwC’s Transparency awards in its effort to encourage NFPs in reporting transparently on how they spend donors’ monies and how their activities support their mission, I can only say that it is up to Invisible Children to be more diligent with their annual reporting and to use it to tell their story too, and then for those who wish to support them to read through their annual reports and make sure they agree with the group’s cause. I do personally laud their commitment to this cause for international justice.
I feel that we each need to do our part to change the world and make it a better place for our children. I personally know a spirited woman who is working very hard towards her belief that the corporate world can work hand in hand with the NFP world in the future. Watch the video that had by now gone viral on social media channels, know the facts, and make up your own mind.
http://vimeo.com/37119711
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Settled down, man & wife; is this now the story of my life? The London life as a working mom is still a struggle, but we get by with flowers, food and the occasional travel.
