Survivors

A young college girl named Florence Apuri was abducted by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). Here is her story:

They broke into our dormitory in the middle of the night and rounded us up – 24 confused and terrified young women… We were walked, at gunpoint, for hundreds and hundreds of miles over three days and nights, resting no more than 30 minutes at any point in time.

After the first day’s walking, we were all packed in a tiny grass-thatched hut and told to sleep. No one wanted to sleep near the door for fear the rebels would rape us in the night, so we piled up on top of each other by the corner of the hut. Sleep was unheard of in such situations.

Eventually we were taken to the rebel leader, Joseph Kony, who told some of us, including me, he was going to release us. We worried it was a trick to kill us, but eventually we believed him enough to flee. For those who escaped, the stigma was almost overwhelming. None of us expected such a level of abuse and discrimination: labeled wives of rebels, victims of rape – most girls who were engaged were swiftly disengaged by their fiancés.

She escaped to her home town and later worked with the ActionAid International Uganda as a consoler to other girls who have been abducted tby the LRA. See there website for more infromation about Invisible Children at http://www.invisiblechildren.com/ 

Thank you for reading this (yes-it is a true story)

~Ashley