When a country is at war, legal structures break down and a culture of impunity grows. War Child rebuilds and improves ravaged justice systems and provides legal representation to children and women to ensure that they are safe from abuse and are defended against sexual and gender based violence. War Child trains legal and justice officials like lawyers, judges and police and does extensive outreach via community meetings, radio panel discussions and mobile legal service vans to ensure that people are aware of their rights.

Charles, a police constable in Northern Uganda where rape is commonplace and far too often the victims are children, recently completed War Child’s Justice training on sexual and gender-based violence.  His community has only one under-funded rural police outpost.  He didn’t expect that shortly after the training, his little sister would be raped.  You can imagine his horror; but, with his new skills, Charles knew what to do: he took her to the hospital and ensured that the perpetrator was tracked down and brought to justice.  Charles feared his little sister’s childhood had been stolen from her the day she was raped. But with the perpetrator behind bars, she has the opportunity carry on with her life and become a productive, valuable member of her community. $1,500 will train 5 – 10 actors in the justice sector – police, lawyers, judges – on the rights and laws around sexual and gender based violence. Learn more about the work of Ward Child USA in the video below.

War Child envisions a world where no child knows war.  They are an internationally recognized charity that works with war-affected communities to help children reclaim their childhood in hard hit places in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.  By providing access to education, economic opportunity and justice, War Child helps children and their families rebuild their communities and break the cycles of poverty and violence. War Child takes an active role in raising public awareness around the impact of war on communities and the shared responsibility to act. Their Philosophy is to invest in local partners and communities, respect the capacity and experiences of local people, and protect civilians caught in war by helping them to become more resilient and advocate for change within their communities.

For more on War Child USA visit www.warchildusa.org or www.facebook.com/WarChildUSA.

Currently, War Child supports communities in Sudan, Jordan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Uganda

War Child was founded in 1999 and has since grown from one volunteer with a cell phone, to what it is today: an award-winning non-profit with a dedicated staff of over 200.

War Child is helping mothers and families around the world give their children a safe start in life and give their communities the best chance of a peaceful future.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is struggling with a fragile peace after years of conflict that claimed over 5.4 million lives, the majority of the victims being women and children. Here, you see some of the sweet children in the classroom engaged in their lesson.

War, displacement and urbanization continue to put children and youth in West Darfur at risk of becoming a lost generation, jeopardizing economic recovery, exacerbating conflict and threatening future prosperity. War Child’s work in Darfur improves the economic resilience of families and promotes early recovery for communities.