We’ve been focusing all week (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs) on what we’ve accomplished together this fall and the important role that Resolve has played in these exciting developments. And we’ve been talking vaguely about this “future” where we’ll be pressuring our leaders to follow through on their promises and calling on our supporters to demonstrate that justice is worth the investment.
Today, we want to give you a glimpse into what’s coming this spring. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you the details of the main attraction yet, but we can tell you that we’re working with some of our favorite partners — and that it is going to be h-u-g-e. Huge.
But let’s move on to what we’re actually allowed to talk about.
First off, this spring the LRA Crisis Tracker will be getting a pretty sweet upgrade. In Phase 2, our capable crisis-mapping team will work with Invisible Children to communicate timely information on LRA activity —but this time we’re exploring how we can make it work in both directions. In addition to gathering information from communities on the ground, we want the Crisis Tracker to be a tool for getting information back into the hands of those most in danger of LRA attack — keeping them up to date on the LRA’s most recent movements. The goal is to prevent violence, not just respond to it. This has always been part of the plan for the Crisis Tracker, but with the help of our Cosponsors, we could have the capability to make it a reality this spring.
Secondly, we’re putting the pedal to the metal to get funding for President Obama’s LRA strategy. We’re in the final stages of hopefully securing $2 million in next year’s national budget that would go toward civilian protection efforts (radio towers, early warning networks, etc) and the rescue and rehabilitation of LRA child soldiers. We’ll be honest. Despite the dire need for these programs — and the relatively small amount we’ve been pushing for — getting this $2 million has been a real challenge. But next year, we are aiming to secure an additional $10 million for these same life-saving programs that are desperately needed on the ground. Ambitious? Yes. But we know it is worth all the time and effort that we’ll need to invest in achieving it. Like we’ve said over and over again this week, inaction carries a much higher cost.
We have big dreams for the spring. Now you know two of them — and you have our word that the one we can’t talk about yet will knock your socks off.
To get all this done, we need to expand our team of Cosponsors. Will you help us do that? Your donation of $20/month – just $5/week – gives us the ability to make big dreams come to fruition and ultimately see an end to LRA violence. We still hope to have 75 new Cosponsors by the end of the week. We are 59 Cosponsors away from that goal. Help us out?
Thanks for joining us this week. Together, let’s make these plans and dreams next year’s realities.