Reintegration for former child soldiers in Uganda

Today we would like to share with you the story of a former girl soldier, Susan (alias), who  learned tailoring and dress designing skills at Terra Renaissance.

She was abducted as a teenager and held by the armed forces for 10 years. During that time, she was forced to cook food for the soldiers, suffered violence from the soldiers, or faced the danger of being shot, and escaped from the army with her children amid fierce fighting.

After coming back from the armed forces, she described her situation at the time as follows.

"When I started my vocational training at Terra Renaissance, I was full of anxiety.  I was already 30 years old and my husband had been killed in the war. Many people also said there was no way I could study when I had to raise five children on my own."

-----

The following message was what she told about her situation in the midst of the training period. You may know her mind had been changing little by little.

"After being held by the armed forces for 10 years I didn't even know how to hold a pen, so I am very happy that I can study here.

My goal now is working as a dressmaker with a good reputation in the town, and I want to give my five children an education so that they can have a bright future."

How encouraging it is to see her trying to move forward despite the many challenges she faces. Not only her, but all the beneficiaries are working hard to change their lives, even though they have various difficulties.

-----

Finally, at the end of August, our current beneficiaries including Susan graduated from our vocational training. From now on, they start running  their own business with the skills they learned.

We would really appreciate it if you support us for graduate trainees in following up their business, and also for accepting more former child soldiers who really need our support. 

Best regards,

Terra Renaissance