Children from many countries face a danger that is unfathomable to those in the rest of the world whose lives are lived in safety and security. As young as nine or ten, these children are either conscripted by their governments to serve in adult-made conflicts or are abducted by insurgents in fights against the established government.

The children of Northern Uganda have lived under the threat of abduction for the nearly two decades. They are being captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rogue rebel force led by rebel leader Joseph Kony that is attempting to overthrow the Ugandan Government. They are used as porters, ‘wives’ and eventually soldiers. Many children have either witnessed their parents’ death as they pleaded for their children or have been forced to kill them, for their captors’ theory is that if a child can kill his parents, he can kill anyone. Inability to walk on bleeding feet, escape attempts, illness and unwillingness to commit atrocities are punishable by death at the hands of their fellow captives. These children are trained to be ruthless and unthinking killers and the younger the child, the easier the task, as young children are easier to mold. Some children have been held for many years while others are rescued or have escaped after a few weeks. Whatever their length of time in captivity, they all have experienced intolerable trauma.

For those who survive, other difficulties await. They often have little or no education or skills and are stigmatized because of their participation in the war. In most places, no help is available for these young people. In northern Uganda, however, two organizations, World Vision, Uganda War Children’s Project and GUSCO (Gulu Support the Children Organization) are working to rehabilitate child soldiers and to reintegrate them into their communities. It is often easier for traumatized children to tell their stories in visual form and the creation of these images is part of their healing process. They work with the assurance of those who know their story well and know the importance of telling it. But most notably they display a childish pride in their efforts for these are, after all, children.

UCCEF, a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization, was formed in 2002 to provide funds for the secondary level education of former child soldiers who have been rescued or have escaped from captivity. We will commit to a child’s education when we are certain that the support will be sustained for as long as the child remains in school. With the knowledge that these children have been severely traumatized, our only expectations are that the child desires the education and demonstrates a sincere effort to learn.