Kony 2012

Every morning I wake up and I read my facebook newsfeed like it's my morning paper before I get out of bed.  This morning my sister Haylee posted this to her facebook wall and I laid in bed for 30 minutes to watch this video. What I watched opened my eyes and brought tears. If you have time please take 30 minutes to watch this video watch it on your lunch break, or when you get home, or on your break, or whenever you can!

Here is what I learned after watching this video. Joseph Kony is one of the world's worst war criminals. He steals children and forces the girls to be sex slaves and the boys he hands guns to shoot any one even their own parents. I learned that this has been happening for 26 years in Uganda Africa. How can I sit here at my computer, in my home, and not say or do something about it? In a way this video inspired me to be a Social Activist for a cause that I felt like truly mattered to me. I started thinking about how I would feel if a child here in the United States was woken up to be abducted and forced to do the dirty deeds one of the world's worst war criminals. I started to cry once I realized that this was REAL. THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. I started wondering...what can I do? I'm just one girl 1000s of miles away from Uganda? 

After watching this video I realized I really can do something. So I began the steps of taking a stand and stopping Joseph Kony. 

So I went online to www.kony2012.com and pledged. 

I shared the video I watched in my bed to everyone I knew. I uploaded it to my personal facebook page. I shared it with the fans of Violet Hill Boutique. I even went as far as to posting it on Mitt Romeny's facebook page. I told him I wasn't going to vote for him unless his foreign policy including stopping Kony in Africa...and right now I started writing this blog post for you to read. 

I then went to http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/ to buy a stop Kony 2012 bracelet 

which was only a total of $12.29 with shipping

As I've done more research this morning I've heard two sides to this story. Here is the other http://visiblechildren.com/ it goes into detail about how the Invisible Children charity operates. I'll be honest I didn't like what I saw. And it got me thinking. What is all of this about? 

AWARENESS....

Yesterday I had no idea who Joseph Kony was, and what he has done to the children of Africa. I might not be able to stop Kony in 2012...but I can do something now. I can give a to an organization that to me spoke to my heart.

I want to get others involved in how I feel about what is happening to these children in Africa so I'm going to playback this message I heard to everyone I know, and I'm inviting you to do the same. I've named these cassette tape accessories the Playback Collection so that you can playback the message you've heard from Kony 2012. For every item I sell  from the Playback collection Violet Hill Boutique will donate $2 to the Children of the Nations charity and not to the Invisible Children's fund.

Now many of you if you have done your research about this movement you will find that the Invisible Children's fund has been accused of not being transparent with how their charity is operating. So I did a little research and found out a better way to make a difference. I found this article on the Children of the Nations foundation which shows some information about how they operate and I felt inspired to follow my gut and choose this charity.

Earrings are $4.00 so $2.00 will go to Children of the Nations. This item also ships for free and can be purchased at www.violethillboutique.com

You can also purchase the necklace for $8.00 at www.violethillboutique.com

This item also ships for free and $2.00 will be donated to Children of the Nations fund when you make your purchase.

Now it's up to you! If anything I want to help spread awareness. I want people to know what is happening and what has been happening for the last 26 years. That's longer then I've been alive. I just want to do something. I want to be the change. I know that I can do something about what Joseph Kony is doing. I know there is something we all can do to bring change to this world, to assist others in need, and to reach out to others. I'm sharing this video. I'm sharing what I did, and I'm sharing what I feel like I can do. My main goal today...is bringing awareness.

I wanna hear your stories? What are you doing to bring awareness?