Hope North: A Ray of Hope in War-Torn Uganda

The Ugandan civil war began more than two decades ago and has yet to come to an end. Doctors Without Borders has called the conflict one of the top ten most underreported humanitarian stories of 2004. Millions of Ugandans have been displaced from their homes since the beginning of the war, making them refugees in their own country. In 1996, the Ugandan government started relocating people into camps in an effort to isolate the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who have been terrorizing the civilian population. By 2004, over 80 percent of northern Ugandans have been moved into camps that lack access to basic resources. As a result, problems such as poor sanitation, psychosocial trauma, starvation, lack of education, prostitution, and AIDS became rampant.

In addition, tens of thousands of children have been abducted by the LRA over the course of the conflict. Forced to become soldiers, they are sometimes ordered to kill family members or burn down villages. One former child soldier is working to change Uganda's future, however. Okello Sam, a renowned dance and theater artist, created a sanctuary for young people whose lives have been affected by the civil war. Situated on a 40-acre campus in northern Uganda, Hope North is a place that orphans, refugees, and escaped child soldiers can call home. Sam founded Hope North to provide education, community, and hope to these young victims, as well as protect their Acholi heritage.

Hope North houses an accredited secondary school that currently has 210 students and 15 teachers. Also located on the campus is a vocational training center, where programs in carpentry, tailoring, food production, arts, dance, music, and sports are offered.

The sanctuary is supported by award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, who met Sam and learned about Hope North while filming The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker was moved by Sam's vision and has visited Hope North to meet its residents.