From Child Soldier to Freedom.

I was 11 years old when I was abducted by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in an ambush on my way home from school. Once I was caught, the solders tied me up with a rope at the waste and attached me to a line with the other abducted children. They held us until dark then led us into the bush where I would be forced to live and fight for 21 years. 

During that first night, my two best friends we’re killed when they couldn’t walk any further. We had very little water and several children starved to death. We began eating leaves as our main source of food until we reached the camp of Joseph Kony in South Sudan. We would cry all day but there was nothing we could do because we were being guarded with guns.

After two days in South Sudan, we were taken for combat training for one month. Of the 150 children taken for that training, only 75 of the children completed it. The others died from sickness or punishment. Every time a child died, we were randomly selected to carry the deceased to try to get us used to seeing dead bodies.

After the training was done, we were given weapons to fight and over the years, we engaged in many battles. It was one of the battles that was the start of my journey home. We were ambushed by South Sudanese soldiers on our way back to Uganda. Many of the LRA soldiers, women and children were killed. I was shot in my leg, shoulders and back, but I kept running with all the bullets in my body, I managed to escape.

I reached a point where I couldn’t move anymore and collapsed. I left my gun and came across two women farming. I cried for help. At first, they ran away from me out of fear but then stopped and came to help me. These women notified the local council and I was taken to the Ugandan military base and then to World Vision to be treated for my injuries. 

Once I returned to my childhood home, I thought life would finally improve, but life was very difficult. While in captivity, my parents had died. The only family I had left feared me as a returnee. They didn’t trust me to stay on our family land or even to cultivate crops out of fear I would poison them. The following 5 years were very hard. I was alone and oppressed facing the stigma from being abducted as a child. 

My life began to change for the better last year. I heard one of the radio talk shows hosted by THRIVEGulu counselors discussing mental health support. After the broadcast, I wrote down the information and I contacted the counselors. I began receiving support with senior counselor Christine who is an expert at helping people who experienced what I did as a child soldier. I nearly committed suicide before the counseling support. 

THRIVEGulu helped me through all my problems. My hope has been restored and I no longer feel like my life is useless. Today I am free from the depression which I was suffering for so long. I am working hard to provide for myself, my wife and my children