UN World Food Program

Firelight Foundation

Access 4 Trust

Kirsty Sked, Australia

After seeing a shocking documentary on the child soldiers in Northern Uganda I decided to get on a plane despite the risks and find a way to do something no matter how small for some of these children. My focus as a Christian is to try to give them back the opportunities that they had stolen from them. For most people in these camps they have lost everything including their basic human rights. Someone famous once said "when you see the raw depravity of human suffering it both disgusts and inspires you to do something about it". In the past I had worked in Africa and knew how big the problems often are and how easy it is to get overwhelmed and collapse under the weight of them.
In my mind I decided to focus on what can be done not what can’t.
The Ugandan peoples resilience and determination despite their tragedies inspired me to help them help themselves.
I meet with Anywar Ricky Richard the founder of Friends of Orphans (who are breathing testimonies of this determination) in 2005 and 8 months later we begun several projects based on what the children had requested.
As a physiotherapist in Australia I was able to earn most of the money along with some fundraising to personally buy and deliver 635 goats and pigs for the former sex slave child mothers. 233 former child soldiers were enrolled in school, 960 mosquito nets were given and several soccer competitions started within the camps. This could never have been completed without the help of friends of orphans staff who I needed for interpreting, advising, liaising, mapping projects and transporting all the goods safely ( including myself ) to the people in these camps. Many staff are themselves former abducted child soldiers whose main motivation is to get as much assistance to the destitute because they personally understand the needs and struggles of these vulnerable children.
Every year I will continue to go to these camps to pay these children's school fees directly and to monitor and expand other projects where possible. Because I am a single woman who doesn’t speak the language and has limited financial resources I am extremely cautious of where my money ends up and Friends of Orphans have proved themselves trustworthy.
So for those who desire to do something for the children in Northern Uganda, these former abducted child soldiers and sex slaves with there energizing determination and hope are absolutely worthy of your efforts .  

Past Funding History