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| As parents it is easy for us to sleep soundly at night, knowing our children are safe and secure in the world we have provided for them. For our children, health, education and security are part of our society, ensuring they have a safe place to grow up. Telling the story of the children in Uganda in words is not easy, it is hard to fully understand and describe the world of terror and torture faced each day by these young victims, some as young as nine in one of the many African conflicts. We all know the stories of conflicts over blood diamonds, rich oil fields and gold and mineral deposits, yet few cover the plight of the Ugandan children. Politics and corruption are behind the conflict in northern Uganda, driven by the Sudanese government, who supply The Lord's Resistance Army, with arms and bases to operate. It is estimated that the number of children still held by the LRA is around 3,000, although estimates vary substantially, imagine the terror and horror these children must face daily as they are, brutally terrorized into virtual slavery as child soldiers, being beaten, raped and forced to kill other children who attempt to escape. One girls story cries out to be heard. "I would like you to give a message. Please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the children. So that other children don't have to pass through this violence." This 15-year-old girl who ended an interview to Amnesty International with this plea was forcibly abducted at night from her home. She was made to kill a boy who tried to escape. She saw another boy being hacked to death for not raising the alarm when a friend ran away. She was beaten and abused throughout her ordeal Now, because of international pressure we have a fragile peace in the northern region of Uganda, it is important that charities begin reconstruction projects to help stabilise the area. Now is the time to act, to begin the work of providing the medical and educational facilities that are required to give the children and their families a safe future. For Life is committed to raise funds to help the communities grow and develop and with your help we know we can make a difference. Every child deserves an education; every child has the right to security, every child deserves to live in peace. It is easy to be overwhelmed by what has happened in Uganda because the sheer scale of it, but we owe it to the children to give them the future they deserve. Make a difference make a donation today. |
