For 21 years, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been terrorizing Northern Uganda, regularly abducting children (some estimate up to 20,000) and using them as child soldiers or even as sex slaves. As a result, many children became "night commuters", walking great distances every night in order to find a safe place to sleep.
Word Vision Canada recently had the pleasure of hosting Margaret "Maggie" Alerotek, 25, an amazing young woman. Born and raised in Gulu, Uganda, Maggie was orphaned and eventually became a World Vision-sponsored child. Her persistence and passion helped Maggie get a job at World Vision Uganda. She now works as a communications officer, sharing stories of how World Vision is helping improve her community.
For Maggie, the greatest challenges that Northern Uganda faces are education and reconciliation. "There are lots of children who don't go to school. If they do not get a career, they won't get to be leaders guiding the development of their community." Reconciliation is difficult as well, since child victims of the LRA are forced to commit atrocities in their own communities.
Here in Canada, Richa Parihar, a member of World Vision's youth network, began to get involved when her history teacher at Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, shared stories about the Holocaust and other world issues. When another teacher from Uganda later talked about the struggles in her country, Richa said, "I was shocked but motivated to do something about it." She organized a petition, and soon more than 500 students at her school joined in.
In April 2007, Maggie came and spoke to students at Turner Fenton about people affected by the LRA, and the larger challenges facing Northern Uganda. Many children there are forced to endure hard labour to survive. Maggie also shared signs of hope, how World Vision's rehabilitation centres help reintegrate children with their families and communities. World Vision also supports peacebuilding teams, some of whom are former child soldiers. The teams travel the country sharing visions of hope and reconciliation. Maggie's presentation deeply moved students and teachers alike. It was an inspiring time for two young people—Maggie and Richa—who play important roles in improving our world.
What you can do
- Stay informed. Keep learning about the people and the peace talks in Northern Uganda.
- Raise awareness. The more people know about the situation, the more possibility there is for meaningful action.
- Raise money to support World Vision's great rehabilitation programs. Be creative. Do something that allows people to both learn and support the need. Click here to make a donation.
