Jacky and her two boys Jared (7) and Ronald (2)
The turmoil of Jacky’s childhood is almost beyond belief. By eight years old, both of her parents died due to illness. The following year, the Lord’s Resistance Army abducted her. She was forced to steal, abduct other children, and participate in rebel attacks. At age 11, a rebel commander began using her as his sex slave.
When she escaped from the LRA a few years later, she discovered she was pregnant. With no education and no skills, Jacky looked for security in the wrong places. The result was a second pregnancy. Desperation and hopelessness consumed her.
But, positive change was around the corner.
When Jacky learned that ChildVoice was interviewing prospective students in her village, she felt a glimmer of hope. Accepted to the Lukome Centre program, Jacky turned her back on the past and is now looking ahead.
Jacky is now one of 22 girls enrolled at the ChildVoice Lukome Centre, a place of hope for war-affected girls and their children. With a remarkable positive and effusive personality, she is making new friends, showing great progress and learning new job skills.
“I am changed,” Jacky says, reflecting on all she has gained so far at the Lukome Centre. “I am learning how to manage stress and worries. I dream of my future and see myself putting into practice the skills I am learning here. Now I realize I am not alone. I am not the only orphan. I am not the only one who was abducted. I am not the only one with fatherless children.”
“In the future, my village will enjoy living with me,” she declares. “I will be a role model. I will share my experiences in order to help others. I will let them know there is hope. I will tell them that their current situation is not permanent.”
Jacky is the epitome of the saying, “big things come in small packages.” Barely five feet tall, she bursts with joy, energy, and a positive attitude that defies the challenges she’s experienced in her young life. And, she is just one story in the remarkable ChildVoice book of changed lives.
You can make a difference for someone like Jacky. ChildVoice has received a $50,000 Christmas Matching Grant – so your gifts in support of girls like Jacky will be automatically doubled. Donate today!