 One night in 1994, James (the boy on the right) was abducted by the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army. At that time, he was 11 years old. The rebels gave him a heavy load to carry and took him to Sudan. On the way, the rebels continued abducted more children. Other children were killed, simply because their feet were swollen, which prevented them from walking fast enough.
In Sudan, James was trained to be a soldier. He learned how to handle a gun and how to place land mines. Next, he was sent to battle. He had to fight the SPLA, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, alongside the Sudanese government army. He was also sent back to his own country, where he had to fight the Ugandan government army. If he did not fight hard enough, he was beaten. He got injured many times and in the end, he lost count. He has scars from bullets in his leg, arm and shoulder. One time, he also broke his leg.
Sudan was immensely famine-stricken. James survived by attacking surrounding villages and looting village gardens. He stayed in the rebel army for seven years.
In June 2001, the government army ambushed his rebel group. James was struck down by a bullet in his eyes. It took three more weeks before he was found and brought to hospital. James is now completely blind. Moreover, he is an orphan. His father died when he was a child. A year after his return, in 2002, his mother also died. When they asked him what he wanted to do with his life, James told at first that he would rather be dead.
The NGO "Childsoldiers" sent him to a school for the blind in Gulu. There, he found his best friend, Simon, who used to be in the same rebel group. Simon (on the left) and James were abducted together and Simon had taken care of James when he was shot in his shoulder for the first time. Simon himself was struck in the eyes by bomb splinters. Simon led James through the world of the blind. Now, James wants to become a teacher for the blind.
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