Youth Advocacy Network
A dynamic passionate group of young people supporting our fellow survivors in Northern Uganda.
Empowering Youth Affected by Conflict
We at Youth Advocacy Network Uganda (YANU) are Children Born of War ourselves and so we understand the challenges and the needs of our beneficiaries all too well.
"The circle of life, belonging. Where every step forward is a step together."
A Powerful Voice
YANU has emerged as a powerful voice for the youth affected by the legacy of war in Northern Uganda. Through collaborative efforts, YANU strives to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by children born of war, advocating for their rights, empowerment, inclusion, and active participation in shaping policies and programs that affect their lives.
YANU provides safe spaces and arts-based healing modalities for youth survivors to process their traumatic experiences and memories through creative self-expression. We source skilled practitioners to facilitate: art therapy, healing dance workshops, storytelling and theater, beadwork and crafts, mindfulness nature meditation, psycho-social support, and so much more.
Core Programs
PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT
HEALTHCARE SUPPORT
EDUCATION & LIVELIHOODS
We offer counseling, support groups, and creative self-expression to promote healing and build resilience.
Treatment for physical and mental health issues, as well as check-ups, vaccinations and menstrual health hygiene.
We source funding for school fees, scholarship programs, vocational skills training programs, and employment opportunities.
Our Impact
Healing Art Therapy
We use creative self-expression such as drawing, painting, sculpting, collage, and beadwork as ways to explore emotions, process trauma, and support healing. Rather than focusing on artistic skill, we emphasize the process of making art as a safe, nonverbal channel for thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to articulate. Not everyone is an artist but we all can express ourselves creatively.
Healing Dance Workshops
We use guided movement, rhythm, and embodied expression to help participants reconnect with their bodies and release stored muscle memories. Trauma often disrupts a person’s sense of safety and bodily awareness; structured, culturally sensitive dance practices can gently restore agency, regulation, and trust through breath, grounding, and shared movement.
Calming Nature Meditation
Trauma can leave the nervous system in a state of hypervigilance or numbness; guided practices that focus on breath, sensory awareness, and the sights and sounds of nature help restore a sense of safety and present-moment stability. Sitting beneath trees, listening to birds, or feeling the earth under one’s feet can anchor attention in the body and gradually calm stress responses.
What happened?
During the war in Northern Uganda (1987 – 2007), tens of thousands of young boys and girls, aged 10 to 15 were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The boys were trained to be soldiers and the girls were kept as slaves and ‘wives,’ some for as many as 8 years. When they eventually escaped or were emancipated from captivity, they returned as young men and women, traumatized, abused, neglected and deprived of their basic human rights to shelter, safety, security, food and education. Many girls came back home carrying their Children Born of War (CBoW), one, two, or even three kids that they had mothered and raised in the “bush.”
Some were warmly welcomed home by their families, but many were not. Most returned to a strange new world, in which they – the survivors of abduction and abuse – had been recast as “Rebels!” and “Konis!” After all they had suffered at the hands of those cruel rebel soldiers, these innocent victims were now branded as villains! Many were shunned and rejected, forced to wander around in search of a place to stay, seeking work, food and education for their children.
Most of the abductees returned from captivity during 90’s and the 2000’s, which means that they are now in their 30’s and 40’s, and that their children born in captivity are now in their 20’s or early 30’s. Some of these women began helping and counseling their fellow survivors. Others, with the support of their families and non-profit organizations, were able to complete their education and pursue further studies. Many of these women and youth emerged as leaders and healers in their communities.
Stories of Change
“Before this, anyone could speak anything to me and I would cry. I was even shy to speak about myself, to speak about my past. I would think: ‘No-one should know about me, that I am a child born of war.’ But when this method was introduced I got confidence. I could speak about myself. It also helped us to realize our talents.”
