Gulu, Uganda

Former Victims of Insurgency Working for Human Rights

Golden Women Vision in Uganda

Golden Women Vision in Uganda is a community-based organization formed by the community members and social workers of Muslim, Protestant, Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist communities. Their aim is to improve the social-economic status of the people who were affected by the Northern Uganda war insurgency. 

In this segment, the founder of Golden Women Vision shares a devastating personal account of her experience during the Northern Uganda civil war. She was forced to flee her home, witnessed her family slaughtered, then abducted and made a sex slave to the soldiers of Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Her story is one of hundreds of women who met the same fate, women who are now shunned by the very communities that failed to protect them. In a remarkable move, she now leads an outreach program that provides trauma counselling, health services and skills training to survivors like herself.

“When I came back after 3 years, I started to realize there is a reason for me to stay alive. Then I registered with the aim of supporting the survivors, supporting the women. […] I said to myself: so long as I’m still alive, I will try with all my level best to create any possibilities for the women, for those who suffered during war in Northern Uganda.”

- Sylvia Acan

The members of Golden Women Vision, a URI member group in Gulu, Uganda, tell their stories of overcoming very recent atrocities to rehabilitate their community in the wake of war.

Photos

Golden Women Vision is composed of former victims of insurgency working for human rights in Uganda Sylvia Acan is the Founder of Golden Women Vision in Uganda Zaria Ddamulira, Legal and Human Rights Officer for URI Africa (Great Lakes), has her microphone adjusted before an interview Golden Women Vision is composed of former victims of insurgency working for human rights in Uganda Sylvia Acan and the Golden Women Vision team with Isabelle Ortega-Lockwood, URI Director of Global Communications and Strategic Planning Golden Women Vision is composed of former victims of insurgency working for human rights in Uganda The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr., URI Executive Director, with Sylvia Acan, Golden Women Vision Founder, and Bill Mosher, Visionaries Founder Golden Women Vision members meet with the URI and Visionaries crewmembers Golden Women Vision is composed of former victims of insurgency working for human rights in Uganda Golden Women Vision members run to greet the arrival of the URI and Visionaries visitors Sylvia Acan, Golden Women Vision founder, with Archbishop John Baptist Odama, leader of Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (another URI member group in Gulu, Uganda) Golden Women Vision members with members of the URI Global Support office

Videos

Sylvia Acan, Founder of Golden Women Vision in Uganda

Irene Lalam, member of Golden Women Vision in Uganda

Despina Namwembe, Regional Coordinator for URI Africa (Great Lakes)

Nakyejwe Maywood, Cooperation Circle Liaison for URI Africa (Great Lakes), and Zaria Ddamulira, Legal and Human Rights Officer for URI Africa (Great Lakes)