WITH A FORMER CHILD SOLDIER ALONG WITH SOFIA BUSH, AND TO
FIND OUT HOW CHILDREN SOLDIERS
CAN BE REHABILITATED.
>> THEY ASKING WHO DO YOU LOVE
THE MOST.
THE MOST. I SAY MY DAD.
HE WAS KILLED.
AND MY MOM WAS TAKEN.
MY BROTHER SENT TO ANOTHER
DIRECTION AND I WAS LEFT ALONE.
THAT IS THE NIGHT I THOUGHT
EVERYTHING WAS OVER.
AND AFTER THE SIX MONTHS, LIVING
IN CAPTIVITY, SEEING PEOPLE DIE,
I KEPT QUESTIONING MYSELF.
WHY.
WHY. AND FOR HOW LONG WILL THIS
CONTINUE?
CONTINUE? >> WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO
COME AROUND TO THE REALIZATION
OF I WANT TO ESCAPE?
>> ONE THING THAT PROMPTED ME TO
LIKE SAY THIS CANNOT HAPPEN, IS
WHEN A YOUNG KID GOT KILLED.
HIS MOTHER ASKED CAN I SEE HIM?
OKAY, I’LL HELP YOU WITH THAT.
AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE KID.
THAT WAS EVERYTHING.
IF SOMEBODY WAS NOT DOING
ANYTHING WRONG CAN GET KILLED,
THE KID WHO DOESN’T TALK, HOW
ABOUT ME WHO TALKS?
>> HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH
FIGHTING THE LRA?
>> WE WERE GIVING 50% OF OUR
PROFITS AWAY TO STOP MOSS AASS
ATROCITIES.
ATROCITIES. IN 2008 THERE WAS A CHRISTMAS
MASSACRE THAT WAS COMMITTED BY
THE LRA.
THE LRA. AT THAT POINT WE HAD TO LOOK AT
OURSELVES AND SAY ARE WE REALLY
DOING WHAT OUR MISSION STATEMENT
SAYS?
SAYS? AND THEN IN 2009, THERE WAS A
SECOND CHRISTMAS MASSACRE WHERE
321 PEOPLE WERE KILLED.
THE WORLD DIDN’T FIND OUT ABOUT
IT UNTIL MONTHS LATER.
I SAID WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR
MISSION STATEMENT OR WE NEED TO
TRY AND DO WHAT OUR MISSION
STATEMENT SAYS.
STATEMENT SAYS. >> THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE TYPE OF WORK YOU HAD BEEN
DOING WHEN YOU’RE REBUILDING
SCHOOLS AND ALLOCATING RESOURCES
AND THEN WHEN YOU BECOME
INVOLVED WITH THIS SOUTH AFRICAN
CONTRACTOR.
CONTRACTOR. IT’S INCREDIBLE AND
EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE LOCAL
COMMUNITY LEADERS HELD ALL THE
ANSWERS.
ANSWERS. THEY SOMETIMES LACK THE AMOUNT
OF RESOURCES WE CONTINUE TO HEAR
PEOPLE SAY THE SPECIAL FORCES
THAT WERE PURSUING THIS GROUP
COULD USE ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
THIS WAS OUR PHILANTHROPIC
ENGAGEMENT.
ENGAGEMENT. WE WANTED A PARTNER WHO WAS
ALIGNED WITH THAT AND ULTIMATELY
FOUND THAT PARTNER IN A SOUTH
AFRICAN PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANY
WHO SAID AT THE TIME ALL TOO
OFTEN AFRICA LOOKS BEYOND ITS
SHORES FOR ITS SOLUTIONS.
AND WE FEEL AS THOUGH AS THEY
HAVE THE SOLUTIONS HERE.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S SO
INCREDIBLE, YOUR CHARITY WORK
HAS BECOME AS KNOWN AS WHAT YOU
DO AS AN ACTRESS.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR WORK THAT DREW YOU TO
IT?
IT? >> IF IT WERE HAPPENING IN
AMERICA IT WOULD BE ON EVERY
NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD.
THIS WAS THE MOMENT I UNDERSTOOD
EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING.
IT BECAME A FUNDAMENTAL CORE
ISSUE AND VALUE IN MY LIFE.
AND WE WERE TALKING HOW WILD IT
WAS FOR US, YOU KNOW, HAVING
KNOWN EACH OTHER.
BUT TO FINALLY BE FACE TO FACE
FIVE YEARS AGO, I WAS VERY CLOSE
TO CRYING WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT
IT.
IT. THE THING THAT’S BEEN THE MOST
IMPORTANT LESSON FOR ME A DECADE
PLUS INTO ALL OF THIS WORK IS
THAT I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED
ENOUGH TO SIT AT THE FEET OF
PEOPLE LIKE DAVID AND LEARN.
BECAUSE ALL TOO OFTEN WHEN
SOMETHING MAKES ITS WAY TO OUR
SHORES, WHEN SOME MASS GLOBAL
ATROCITY LIKE THE ONE SHE’S
DEDICATED HER LIFE WORK ON
BECOMES SOMETHING WE UNDERSTAND,
WE ASSUME WE HAVE THE ANSWERS.
THAT’S NOT OUR JOBS.
OUR JOB IS TO ADVOCATE, OUR JOB
IS TO SIGNAL, AND OUR JOB IS TO
TURN TO PEOPLE LIKE DAVID AND
EVERYONE INUE GOND UGANDA AND SA
CAN WE SUPPORT FIXING THIS
PROBLEM IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
>> WHAT CAN WE DO TO CONTINUE
THIS WORK?
THIS WORK? THE LRA STILL EXISTS.
WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT IS FOR
PEOPLE TO STAY AWARE OF THE
FACTS AND ADVOCATE FOR THE
IMPORTANCE THAT THAT THOSE ON
THE GROUND REALLY SEE AS
NECESSARY TO CONTINUE TO CLOSE
THAT GAP.
THAT GAP. >> DAVID IS STILL DOING THIS
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. SO, REALLY, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WORK
THERE HAS NOT STOPPED.
>> GETTING SOMEONE OUT OF THE
BATTLEFIELD IS ONE THING.
HELPING THEM START A NEW LIFE IS
ANOTHER THING.
ANOTHER THING. WE DON’T HELP THEM START A NEW
LIFE, WE’RE CREATING A NEW BREED
OF TERRORISTS.
OF TERRORISTS. >> YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT AFTER
THEY LEAVE THE SYSTEM THAT HAS
REDUCED THEM IN SOME WAY WHICH
TRAUMA AND BRAINWASHING AND WAR
DOES TO SOMEONE.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’VE BEEN
KIDNAPPED AS A CHILD.
AND SO IT’S OUR JOB TO BE A
BETTER SERVICE TO ORGANIZATIONS
ON THE GROUND WHO ARE TRULY A
PART OF THE FABRIC OF ANY