African Youth Initiative Network is a youth led and victim centered organisation based in Lira, Uganda. It was founded in
2005 by Victor OCHEN, a war survivor himself, to respond to the dire conditions in a region that suffered over two decades of war.

This documentary is a story of how young people in the northern Uganda joined their energy, resourcefulness and
innovation to provide medical and psychosocial rehabilitation to war victims, promote youth leadership and gender inclusion in the recovery of the greater northern region of Uganda.

Ms. Simone Ungersboeck (center)  from Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) meeting with patients, AYINET team and medical experts at the surgical camp, organised at Lira regional referral hospital by AYINET with funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation to provide medical and psychosocial rehabilitation to victims and survivors of sexual violence.

We work directly with victims of brutalities suffered during the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Government of Uganda (GoU) hostilities. We focus our work in three critical areas: health and psychosocial rehabilitation for those who have suffered from grave injuries and crimes, engaging people and communities in the transitional justice process, and empowering and training youth in leadership skills. With these areas in mind we create and implement programs that are victim-centered and designed to empower communities to promote a healthy, peaceful and just society.

AYINET addresses the harmful effects of violent conflict, and focuses on healing as a form of justice.

AYINET implements a number of programs focused on youth advocacy , and building leaders and change-makers among the youth population.

AYINET actively engages women and men in programs involving community empowerment, woman participation and economic activities as a means of achieving gender equality.

AYINET engages victims and their communities in the transitional justice process. Our programs our based on the belief that transitional justice measures should be designed to reflect the interest of the victims.

AYINET conducts a variety of forms of research, including victim mapping and surveys. We collaborate with a number of national and international partners in order to complete our research for effective intervention.

AYINET works along local, regional, national and international lines as a mean of engagement to strengthen all of our interventions.

Female victims of war suffering from serious gynecological injuries due to sexual violence and exploitation face barriers to access justice to address the abuse and its aftermath. The damage to their physical and emotional health prevents them from having the physical stamina, energy, and resources to access services – via traditional justice, CSOs, NGOs, or state – to enforce and uphold their rights which are under threat, most notably regarding access to land, property, their children, and freedom from violence and intimidation.

 The project was meant to provide remedy in the form of medical and psychosocial rehabilitation for female victims of sexual violence and exploitation, thereby significantly improving their health and strengthening their standing within their households, community and customary justice systems.  Additionally, the project do empower these women victims to understand any challenges they are having defending or claiming their rights (particularly to land, property, access to post conflict rehabilitation funds, their children and freedom from violence and intimidation) and link them to existing access to justice systems – via traditional justice, CSOs, NGOs, or state services – to help respond to and uphold their rights which are under threat.

 

 

 

Stiitches of HOPE

“Each Stitch the doctor applied had LOVE, CARE, SUPPORT, KINDNESS and the combination gave me HEALING”   Read more