This op-ed originally appeared on Global Post.
Ten years ago, I was in the same boat as the directors of the viral video "Kony 2012."
I was shocked to hear about tens of thousands of kids in far-off northern Uganda being abducted by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army who forced the children at gunpoint to kill their mothers, their brothers, and their friends.
I asked: Why were children, as young as eight years old, dying and getting their lips cut off? And for what? The rebel leader, Joseph Kony, seemed to have no popular support.
Like the makers of "Kony 2012" I decided I could not stand idly by. I became committed to helping end one of the deadliest wars in Africa by helping children brutalized by Kony and the LRA.
The directors of "Kony 2012" have succeeded in using video and the internet to create a revolutionary way to raise awareness.
A week ago, tens of millions of people around the world had no idea where Uganda or the Central African Republic were, but because of the viral video "Kony 2012," they now know about Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and about the destruction they have caused on the ground.
But that is not enough. Today we have a chance to move beyond awareness and help move policy. Only policymakers here and in Africa can really end these human tragedies.
If you saw "Kony 2012" and want to do more, you can.
The video gives a compelling narrative and basic outline of Kony’s story, but here are four suggestions that can help us take "Kony 2012" a step further to actually end the war.
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Photo: Kony 2012 poster featured in new Invisible Children film (Global Post)