Under our noses, Ben Affleck has quietly visited the country of Congo three times in the past eight months. An ABC Nightline crew in tow, the actor has made it his personal mission to become educated on the humanitarian crisis in the African nation. By reporting for Dateline, he’s hoping to shed more light on the crisis there.

“Congo is in terrible shape,” Ben says in an interview airing tonight on Dateline. “What’s going on here in this country is humanitarian disaster. I think just helping people understand that could have a real ripple effect down the road and this piece will be one small incremental step in that.”

Since 1998, over four million people have died in a conflict that continues to claim 45,000 every month due to violence, starvation, and disease. From Ben’s report,

“It makes sense to be skeptical about celebrity activism. There is always the suspicion that involvement with a cause may be doing more good for the spokesman than he or she is doing for the cause.

I welcome any questions about me and my involvement, but I hope you can separate whatever reservations you may have from what is unimpeachably important about this segment: the plight of eastern Congo.”

Check out the full article and video preview here.

Photo credit: Max Culhane/ABC News

Categories: Causes, Film/TV
Tags: ben affleck.

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

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