Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ugandan boy the new face of Trocaire appeal

A NINE-year-old boy from Uganda is the face of this year's Trocaire box.

Daniel Okweng comes from Bar Kawach, in northern Uganda, where many families moved into camps for safety as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) waged a violent war, leaving 1.8 million people displaced over 20 years.

Justin Kilcullen, director of the charity, said the agency was hoping to highlight the impact of war and the need to rehabilitate people to return to their normal working lives.

TV star Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain will visit the war-stricken community in Uganda this year and believes it will be an "eye-opener".

She will meet the family of Daniel Okweng and hopes to visit a school in the stricken area where 300 families were burned or shot in their homes.

The Lenten campaign gets under way today and all monies raised will go towards projects in the 27 countries where Trocaire works.