Thousands of children in Uganda are orphans due to the AIDS crisis and 20 years of war.

Joshua Dysart, a recent visitor to Northern Uganda reported a ratio of children to adults being approximately ten to one.

"The whole social fabric has broken down," said UNICEF Representative in Uganda Martin Mogwanja.

James, a resident of Gulu who works with Invisible Children, said that many are trained with tailoring skills after coming out of the bush, but have no work.

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Stitch Uganda Together is a project selling travel hammocks to purchase sewing machines for people in Uganda that will offer employment, freely provide hammocks to homeless children, and create healing play spaces.

Art Therapist and Action Hero Network space creator, Cory Richardson, will be in Uganda to create sewing rooms, public art projects, and play spaces using swings, tightropes, hammocks and dance hoops.  Working with Life in Africa (http://lifeinafrica.com/children/farm/  ), Cory will create bamboo domes at Opok farm ( http://beta.razoo.com/groups/opok_farm_village ). Please feel free to take part: http://www.ned.com/group/opokfarms/news/2/

The Action Hero Network promotes the efforts of all heroes working in Uganda by broadcasting their stories to generate more awareness and support. Join our group on Razoo: http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network

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Thousands of reasons why this is important:

According to a random survey of over 2,500 individuals in displaced persons camps by the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Human Rights Center, 40 percent of respondents had been abducted by the rebel LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), 45 percent had witnessed the killing of a family member and 23 percent had been physically mutilated at some point during the conflict.

There are approximately three hundred thousand child soldiers in our world, over one-third of them are in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Going home for child soldiers is seldom easy. They are stigmatized through name calling and ridicule, often coming from their peers, whose acceptance they crave. Their normal emotional development has been arrested as a result of the brutality they have known.

Treat yourself to the simple luxury of enjoying a hammock and improve the lives of many others in Uganda at the same time. Get one online at www.actionheronetwork.net

Join our Stitch group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160

• 10/17/2007 21:21
  • 08/09/2007 23:05
  • 08/09/2007 23:05
  • 08/08/2007 18:52
  • 08/08/2007 17:12