Give hope to Ugandan children

Since the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) waged war against the Government of Uganda (GOU) in the 1980s, Northern Uganda has been ravaged by violence and political instability. Consequently, Ugandans living in the North have been plunged into 25 years of poverty and destitution. Considered amongst the least developed countries in the world, an entire generation of youth in Northern Uganda has never known peace.

Violence in the North began in the 1980s when Alice Lakwena claimed that the Holy Spirit told her to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholi people. Government resentment increased and the movement gained popularity. However, Lakawena was exiled and replaced by Joseph Kony, who transformed Lakawena’s rebel army in the LRA.

Without as much support from the Acholi people, the LRA became increasingly militarised and resorted to abducting children for indoctrination into their ranks. An estimated 90% of the LRA army was comprised of abducted children, who were put to work as soldiers and slaves.

Tough government intervention, in response to the LRA’s attacks in northern villages, evicted and relocated thousands of Ugandans into overcrowded camps, in which approximately one million Ugandans still live in abject poverty. Starvation and disease are part of everyday life.

Despite peace keeping initiatives and international intervention, Ugandans remain subject to impoverished living conditions and ongoing bloodshed, which is only aggravated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Not surprisingly, Ugandan children are amongst the most badly affected. Orphans, child-headed households and street children abound.

Increasing international awareness has ushered in initiatives to end poverty and hunger for Ugandan children. Charity organisations such as ActionAid Australia focus on Uganda in its sponsor a child programs, to give children and their communities access to fresh water, food, and education opportunities. For those in the Western world, it’s often hard to imagine how we can make a real difference in the lives of impoverished children, and help give them a chance in the world.

Child sponsorship is one of the easiest and most effective options, as your donations have a tangible, traceable destination. Today, most child sponsorship programs work on a community basis, with monthly donations used to teach the wider community about sanitation, immunisation and education and farming methods. With the money going to the child’s community, the entire community, adults and children benefit from the program. Meanwhile, sponsorship organisations will assign a sponsor to a child and reports on a child’s progress help confirm that sponsor’s donations are making a real impact in the betterment of the child’s life and his or her community.

Continued growth and stability in Northern Uganda is dependent on help from the international community. Although the longest running African conflict, the war in Northern Uganda is the least reported, making child sponsorship and aid efforts crucial to the development of Uganda and the future of Ugandan children. Children are the hope for the future – to help give Uganda hope, sponsor a child today.