In three days, the internet did what it took two decades of genocide to do: it made Joseph Kony famous. Nevertheless, with the objectives of the “Make Kony Famous” movement so unclear, this man will soon be forgotten. However, there is a way for the millions interested in stopping Kony to help Ugandans, not by a death warrant for mass murder but by connecting with and investing in the individuals of Uganda.
The combined armies of Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo crippled the Lord’s Resistance Army and drove Kony into hiding in 2008. The aftermath of Kony’s terrorism left the region of northern Uganda devastated and demoralized. Therefore, the objective of charities should be rebuilding and developing the region.
Charities fail because they never build a connection between the donors and the people they assist. Micro financing offers such a connection because it gives the donors an opportunity to connect with an individual. It is not as glamorous as hunting Kony down but supporting one small business has a multiplier effect on the community’s stability and, subsequently, the stability of the region and even the country.
For donors, micro financing gives them ownership of their contribution. Several charities like Zidisha, Kiv and Finca facilitate the exchange of loans between people. However, while this type of support will not bring immediate recovery to northern Uganda, it will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.
Kony managed to terrorize a country for decades because his opposition supported a cause rather than a relationship with the people Kony terrorized. If you want to help Uganda or any country, support the people, not the cause. Facebook was built on the concept of peer-to-peer interaction; charities should be built on the same basis of connecting the fortunate to the unfortunate.