Gulu district in northern Uganda has suffered from decades of violence and oppression, most recently caused by conflict between the government of Uganda and lord’s resistance army (LRA), between 1986 to 2006. The LRA was responsible for killing more than 100,000 people and abducting an estimated 30,000 children who were forced to become wives and soldiers.

In 1996, approximately two million people were displaced from their homes and went to live in IDP camps, where they lived for over a decade, dependent on the government for food and shelter. In 2006, a cessation of hostilities agreement was reached between the LRA and the Uganda government.

By 2008, people began to return home to rebuild their lives and communities and Gulu town is re-emerging as a bustling hub along the trade route to south Sudan. However, the post- conflict community bears a legacy of interrupted education, loss of practical agricultural knowledge and psychological trauma. Within this context, we are focused on seeing individuals healed, local businesses and organizations strengthened, and communities restored.