Daniel Emoru of Uganda milks the cow purchased for him by World Vision Gift Catalogue shoppers. Photo Credit: Nigel Marsh/World Vision.

When she first saw the numbers, admits Fortunate Sewankambo, director of World Vision Uganda, "I thought it was a lie."

The figures from 2006 showed that every week, approximately 1,000 children were dying in Northern Uganda.

The region has long been wracked by conflict between government forces and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), but the brutality has increased in recent years - and so has the targeting of children.

In what has become its signature tactic, the LRA kidnaps boys and girls and terrorizes them into fighting as soldiers or serving as slaves. According to studies by World Vision, the cult-turned-rebel faction has abducted and enslaved more than 25,000 children to date.

Sewankambo calls it the "worst forgotten war, the worst case of child abuse."

Raiding villages for children and supplies, the LRA has uprooted more than 1.4 million people and left destruction and trauma in its wake.

But, remarkably, there are also signs of hope beginning to emerge in Northern Uganda.

Unlike many non-governmental organizations, World Vision stayed in the region when attacks on civilians escalated in 2002. It's helping children and families to rebuild their lives with goods and services provided by Gift Catalogue shoppers.

Since 2000, Canadians buying from the catalogue have given struggling families emergency provisions of food, seeds and tools to revive despoiled farmlands, and school uniforms so children can resume their education.

Many have also given four-legged presents, which have a unique impact on their recipients.

Robby Muhumuza, who preceded Sewankambo as World Vision Uganda director, says he visited "many children who have received gifts of goats through the Gift Catalogue. I can never forget their joy as they proudly showed me their goats

Besides goats, Gift Catalogue shoppers also gave cows - a gift particularly appreciated by the region's Iteso people. Before the raids, the Iteso had always been a cattle-raising culture. To them, the cows were more than a precious commodity: they represented a return to a cherished way of life.

"It means a lot to have a cow here," said Daniel Emoru, who received a cow in 2004 to help him provide for his four children and younger brother. "It gives you self-respect. There is the milk for the children, the manure for the soil, and the calves, which can be sold if necessary for medical bills or big expenses."

The Emorus agreed to donate the cow's first calf to another family. They, in turn, will donate that calf's first calf to someone else, continuing the chain of goodwill begun by the original buyer.

"We don't know who gave the money for this cow, and they don't know us," said Emoru's wife, Lois, who reported a definite improvement in the children as a result of the cow's milk. "All I know is, they must be people with good hearts."

The Emorus and their neighbours could soon receive the best gift of all - peace. Earlier this year, the Ugandan government and the LRA agreed to a ceasefire and to hold peace talks.

As they anxiously await the outcome of the talks, the people of Northern Uganda continue to treasure their gifts from Canada - which not only helped them survive their ordeal, but also let them know they weren't forgotten by Canadians who cared.

For more information on how you can purchase a dairy cow ($600), a goat ($100), food to feed 30 hungry children ($45), harvest packs for farmers ($35) or school supplies for two classrooms ($50), go to www2.worldvision.ca/gifts/app.

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