History of the Fund

The Fund for War- affected Children and Youth was established in response to the ongoing war that is being waged in northern Uganda and the atrocities being committed there by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). As Caroline described in her last post, during this twenty-year long conflict, the LRA has abducted over 25,000 children, forcing them to serve as soldiers, slave, and sexual laborers.

In response to this conflict, between July and November of 2005, the John D. MacArthur Foundation, in cooperation with the Canadian Government, conducted an assessment in northern Uganda to identify possible ways to improve the lives of young children and youth in the region. This assessment took place in four different stages and included on-site visits, interviews with staff at reception centers for previously abducted children and youth, and meetings with community leaders, local and national officials, and the representatives of local NGOs and international aid agencies. The assessment resulted in the identification of the successes, failures and gaps of local and international initiatives in the area. In addition, recommendations were formulated for actions to be taken by the MacArthur Foundation and the Canadian Government that would improve the lives of these young children and youth.

Thus, in 2006, the Fund for War-affected Children and Youth was established by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with other international donors. The Fund aims to provide long-term financial support to organizations in northern Uganda to promote sustainable peace and reconciliation. As Jackie described, the Fund is committed to supporting initiatives in the Gulu, Kitgum and Pader districts that focus on educating and reintegrating war-affected children and youth and facilitating processes of transitional justice and reconciliation. The Fund and its partners, including local community-based and international organizations, are working to develop evidence-based programs to promote the following objectives:

• Access to education and income-generating activities for children and youth
• Access to traditional and formal forms of justice and truth-seeking
• Capacity building that will enable organizations to launch and sustain long-term projects; facilitate inter-institutional coordination and cooperation; and facilitate community participation, especially in regards to the reintegration of LRA returnees
• Access to services by under-served populations, especially those in remote camps for internally displaced persons; and
• The work of talented individuals and enterprising organizations, especially those that encourage entrepreneurship, in northern Uganda.