Ben Affleck Joins Facebook

What is the world coming to that the usually private Ben Affleck decided to join Facebook? Well, if you think the actor/director is about to share photos of his family (wife, actress Jennifer Garner, and their two daughters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3,) there’s bound to be some disappointment.

The actor and philanthropist decided to open a Facebook account on February 18th to promote understanding and awareness about the situations going on in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The actor started doing work for the Congo in 2007, and has attested that it was his family that pushed him to look outside of himself to make a difference in others lives, specifically the woman and children who are tortured and raped in the Congo.

When asked about his efforts in the Congo the actor recently said, “I got to a point in my life where I felt like I had been very fortunate. And I wanted to do something more with my life than just make movies and try to make money. I wanted to do something that was important to me in other ways and would serve as an example to my kids.”

In 2008 he began to publicly speak out on behalf of these people by doing a special with Diane Sawyer for Nightline called “Journey to The Congo” which documented his travels to the country, and his peace offerings to the head of the Republic.

On the Facebook page he documents his trips to the Congo leading all the way back to 2007, with photographs and many insights. On the Facebook he writes, “Looking forward to bringing some awareness to what’s happening in the Congo today, and sharing stories of the extraordinary people I’ve met along the way.”

Affleck established the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2010.