We love photo Friday. We love it so much that after years of featuring photos from Uganda, we’re going even bigger. From now on we’ll be rotating our photo Friday amongst all of Invisible Children’s international offices to give you a snapshot (pun intended) of what’s going on at Invisible Children in Uganda and across central Africa. I know, we’re excited too.

 

LRA, defector, CAR, letter, Stella, Invisible Children

This is Stella. Stella was abducted from Uganda by the LRA as a young girl, but this past February she, another woman, a man, and a six year old boy, all Ugandan, decided to escape the LRA in Mboki, Central African Republic (CAR). Beginning earlier this year they started hearing ‘Come Home’ messages from helicopter speakers which gave them the courage to escape. Once they got away from their group, they needed to be rescued by security forces so they could be taken home to Uganda. Stella was the only literate one of her group, so while they were hiding in the jungle near Mboki, CAR, she wrote a letter in Acholi and asked local hunters to bring it to the UPDF on behalf of her group. On February 9th, the hunters delivered the letter to the Invisible Children sponsored Community Defection Committee in Mboki, who then took the letter to the UPDF. Stella and her fellow escapees were rescued that afternoon.

Here is what her letter said:

WE CAME OUT FOUR OF US (4). IF YOU FIND THIS LETTER, FIRST OF ALL I SEND MY REGARDS TO THE UPDF. I AM VERY AFRAID OF CIVILIANS; PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO COLLECT ME.I LEFT THE LRA PURPOSELY TO COME BACK HOME. I HEARD CAESAR. I BEG TO BE PARDONED. PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND COME AND PICK US FROM WHERE I HAVE PLACED THIS LETTER. HERE WE ARE JUST WAITING FOR YOU EXACTLY AT THE POINT OF THIS LETTER. JUST COME, WE SHALL COME TO YOU. I THOUGHT OF MY LIFE AND THAT IS WHY I DECIDED TO COME HOME-TO YOU GOVERNMENT.

DO NOT FEAR TO COME. WE HAVE LAID DOWN TO YOU OUR WEAPONS. PLEASE, LOOK AT US AS DEFECTORS AND TREAT THIS AS IMPORTANT.

OKELLO MAKWAK, AKIDI STELLA, LAMUNU EVELYN, AND ONE CHILD NAMED OLANYA

THIS IS THE END OF MY COMMUNICATION.

Because of Stella’s bravery, the group was rescued and has since been returned to Uganda where they are undergoing rehabilitation.

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STORIES LIKE stella’s CAN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU.

DONATE TODAY TO SUPPORT INVISIBLE CHILDREN’S ‘COME HOME’ MESSAGES AND community defection committees as we work to encourage all lra to peacefully return home.