Resolve

A personal, informed, handwritten letter is one of the strongest metrics within a Congressional office of public support for an issue. US Senator Paul Simon said in 1994, "If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different."

Step 1 - Get informed

Use our Congressional Scorecards to find your Member of Congress and get their contact information. You will also be able to see the grade that your Member of Congress currently has, based on his or her history of action on this issue. Then, read Our Agenda to get an updated explanation of what we need to be asking for right now.

Step 2 - Put your pen to paper

Here are some general principles to remember:

Keep it simple: Clearly articulate what specific action you want your Member of Congress to take. Doing this can help ensure that your letter gets into the right hands and makes it easier for you to hold them accountable.  It is also best to keep letters of this nature under one page.

Prove you're a real-life, breathing human being: The more personal, the better. Congressional offices receive thousands of communications a year and when a letter shows creativity and a personal investment, they take notice. Also, whenever you're able, handwriting your letters also shows a further commitment of time and effort on the part of a constituent.

Thank your Member of Congress: Along with asking for further action, thank your Member of Congress for supporting previous Congressional efforts to stop the violence of the LRA, or in taking the lead on other humanitarian efforts. Show a knowledge and appreciation of their record in Congress.

Need a sample letter to guide you? Here you go:

Dear _____________________________,

I am writing today to express my concern about the atrocities being committed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa and to ask you to take immediate action to protect children and families from their attacks and to help bring lasting peace. For more than two decades, all attempts to end the LRA insurgency have failed, leaving war-affected communities to suffer the devastating consequences of widespread displacement, abduction, and death.

Not limited just to northern Uganda, the violence has now rapidly spread into neighboring areas of southern Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and southeastern Central African Republic, destabilizing the entire region. But with your action, a sustainable resolution to Africa’s longest running war is within reach.

Much greater investment, both financial and diplomatic, is needed to bring an immediate end to this violence and achieve peace. 

I therefore hope you will ensure that the Administration leads multilateral efforts to address the continued threat posed by the LRA.

I hope that we will be able to work together to help make peace a reality for the children and families being victimized by this horrible crisis. I look forward to your reply. 

Thank you,

[Your name]

Step 3 - Strength in numbers

Get others involved in writing to their Members of Congress. You can always coordinate your own letter-writing campaign with friends, classmates, club members, etc.