FROM THE BUSH TO A WARM HOME - THE STORY OF WATHUM OSCAR

My name is Wathum Oscar from the Gulu District in northern Uganda. I am an orphan who comes from a family of five. When I was still a little boy, my life was changed dramatically as our family and I were attacked by the rebels (the so-called "Lord’s Resistance Army") and abducted to the bush to join their army. These rebels killed my father in front of me, they killed other members of my family, and they went ahead to rape our mother and forced her to become their wife.

My two elder brothers and my sister had thus died in the bush, while I remained with my other two sisters. For them, it was even worse, as they were being used as wives for all soldiers. One day, our mama was killed by one solider who complained that she was asking him for food to give us.

My life changed abruptly one day when I and other children were sent to bring water. Normally, we used to do this and were escorted by soldiers. But on that day things were different. That day, we went alone. There were some children among us who were older than us, and they told us not to go back to the barracks were we had been staying. Instead, they told us to go back to our homes.

So we ran, while others went back to the rebel barracks. We ran and walked without any idea of were to go. After a few days, I found out that I and some of the children that escaped together with me had effectively escaped from streets of Nebbi district.

One day, I boarded a bus and a many hours later found myself on the streets of Kampala. It was very hard for me, since I could not speak the language there. In 2006, I met uncle Innocent Byaruhanga of HOPE-F-U-L -- and since then my life has never been the same again.