Tough life

Sharon Apio

 

My name is Sharon and I am 14 years old. When I was younger the Lords Resistance Army came to our house and killed my parents but I cannot remember exactly when this happened.

I ran to Rev Zadok's house for shelter. After I had been there for some time the LRA surrounded the house and started shooting, killing many people. Rev Zadok went outside to meet them and they tied him up and took him away. I ran into the bush with the other children and we hid there for many days.

We would hide under grass and sleep with grass over us so the LRA would not see us because at any sign of life in the bush the rebels would shoot at it. We would lay low until the shooting stopped and then move to another place. We stole food from other people’s crops and ate cassava and green leaves. There was no shelter and often we were exposed to the rain. Each child would take their own path to confuse the LRA. We tried desperately to find someone to help but there was nobody.

Eventually we found a house with no roof and sheltered there for four days.

Finally Penninah found us and took us to a camp and eventually to Lira where with the funding she receives from Bright Hope World she now looks after me and 27 other children.

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