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The reality of immense human suffering tends to be obscured by our distance from it. The greatest divide between us in the West and the worst tragedies of our time is not merely measured by miles but by circumstances so completely foreign to our experience that we can hardly relate. Getting up close and personal with tragic situations, and the people effected by them, can put a personal face on what is otherwise seen as a vague humanitarian crisis. I recently met a young man who did this for me and I would like you to meet him as well.

Jeffrey was born and raised in Northern Uganda. He was very young when the Lord's Resistance Army, known locally as the "rebels", stormed his village. One of his uncles scooped him up and hid him in a burlap sack and tried to carry him away. From the small holes in the sack, Jeffrey watched as the rebels brutally murdered his other uncle who had been a favorite to him. Unable to escape, Jeffrey was abducted by the rebels and forced to join their army.

While among the rebels, Jeffrey witnessed inconceivable brutality. One elderly man was demanded to carry more than his aging body could manage and when he unable to do so, they threw fuel on him and burned him alive. A rope was once draped across a raging river and the children were ordered to cross it hand-over-hand. Many of the children could not make it and fell into the rushing river without anyone to help them. He witnessed children who were forced to kill other children or be killed themselves.

One day Jeffrey saw his chance to escape, ran for his life and hid in a tree while the rebel soldiers searched for him. When he returned to his village he found nothing left but ruins. With no family to care for him he despaired of life. One day a woman found him and recognizing his pain and need, she took him in. She found a place for him among the children of the Otino-Awa Children's Home and this is where we met Jeffrey. He has made great strides but continues to receive counseling to help him through the trauma that he experienced at such a young age. Jeffrey is only one of thousands of children who have faced similarly tragic circumstances. What is sad is that the vast majority of them will never receive the kind of support and help that Jeffrey is receiving now.

The LRA was founded by, Alice Lakhwena, a self-proclaimed prophetess and political activist. Joseph Kony succeeded her as the rebel leader and has waged war against the Ugandan government since 1986. While the LRA claims to

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