Over the last 20 years, more than 24,000 children were abducted from their villages in northern Uganda and sent to fight for the insurgent Lord’s Resistance Army or offered as brides to older soldiers. To avoid this fate, thousands of children would walk miles each night to sleep on the streets of the town centers, which offered more protection. The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, a URI Cooperation Circle, brought international media attention to the plight of these "night commuters," setting off a global humanitarian response. Today, the children sleep in their own beds.
