Child Soldier Peace Project Uganda

The civil war in Uganda has deep roots and long-lasting impacts on the everyday lives of the Ugandan people. The child soldiers that were stolen into the war have lost so much more than their childhood -- they have lost loved ones, homes, communities, and opportunities for education. We have so much to give to these individuals who have had everything taken away from them.

Now that the immediate conflict is over, support for the broken communities has diminished, but former child soldiers are still facing incredible challenges. The goal of our project is to work with the community to improve long-term child soldier rehabilitation efforts in Lira, Uganda. We are partnering with Children of Peace Uganda, AYINET, and Hope in Action Uganda. These organizations that are doing what they can to build peace in the community, but they are lacking resources to make large-scale, effective change.

This summer, with your support, we are hoping to go to Lira, Uganda to work on the ground with our partners and build connections in the community. Our time in Uganda will be spent learning, listening, interviewing former combatants, and talking with individuals running current rehabilitation programs to assess effective peacemaking strategies. Your donations will support our travel expenses and pay for a round of initial supplies for our community partners.

As we work in Lira, we will document our trip, conversations, and research. We plan to use what we learn this summer to develop a concrete plan with our community partners for a project that will improve reintegration in the region, as well as to educate our community back home about this issue. Our vision is to establish a holistic peace center that offers agricultural and vocational training, psychosocial rehabilitation programs, medical care, and education for former child soldiers and the surrounding community. When we return, we will apply for grant money through organizations such as 100 Projects for Peace and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund our long-term project.

The path of the civil war in has been long and destructive, especially for the children of Uganda who now face an unknown future. We need your support to make a difference. Thank you for your contribution.          

We’d like to take the time to acknowledge the people who have worked to initiate this project, including previous research partners, Monica Cropsey and Evin Harris.

And thank you for your support and contributions that will make the next steps of this project possible. Every penny we raise over our target goal for this summer will go toward the implementation of our long-term project.

If you would like to learn more please contact Max Clary at mclary@lclark .edu 


Photos from Jane Ekayu, Children of Peace Uganda.
http://childrenofpeaceuganda.com