Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
Child soldier speaks on his experiences
Northern Uganda's "forgotten" war is now entering its 18th year. On one side lies the Lord's Resistance Army, a force of two to three thousand "soldiers", the majority of whom are under the age of 16. On the other lies President Yoweri Museveni's Uganda Defence Forces. Caught in between are nearly 1.6 million displaced people as well as the tens of thousands of civilians who have been killed, raped, or abducted. More recently the conflict has created a class of children, euphemistically known as "night commuters" who leave their villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps each night to seek the relative safety of the town.
Dr. Fred Oola grew up in one of the many camps established for those displaced by the war. With the help of a foreign benefactor, he received a secondary school education. From here he went on to win a government scholarship to attend medical school in Uganda. He continues to live and work in Northern Uganda. In his presentation, he will speak of the challenges faced by "night commuter" children today as well as his own personal experience. Dr. Oola also heads "The Child is Innocent", a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the children of Northern Uganda.
