H.E.A.L.S Uganda

Since the mid-1980s, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has led a brutal civil war in Northern Uganda. The primary victims of this war have been the Acholi people who have seen over 30,000 of their children abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves. It is estimated that 85% of LRA forces are made up of abducted children and that 1.6 million Ugandans have been displaced into overcrowded and squalid camps due to this war (Refugees International, 2006).
Health Education Arts Literacy Sports (H.E.A.L.S) is a registered non-profit organization based in Gulu, Northern Uganda. H.E.A.L.S was founded by Jolly Grace Okot who was among the first children abducted by the rebels in 1986. She was forced to work as a child soldier before escaping from the rebels two years later. Jolly returned to school and went on to work with several international organizations such as Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontiers-Holland, InterAid International, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Having directly experienced the effects of war gave Jolly a deep understanding of what war-affected children in Northern Uganda were going through and inspired her to start her own non-profit organization.
In 2003, Jolly created H.E.A.L.S so that war-affected children could be provided with a variety of programs and services including school sponsorship, health education, and literacy classes. H.E.A.L.S also focuses on recovery, and provides children with a safe space to play after school through its Play Therapy Program, which offers traditional dance and music classes, sporting activities, and art classes.
Ms. Okot, has been widely recognized for her work most notably when she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for promoting and developing children’s Right to Play programs in Northern Uganda. On June 8, 2006 for International Women’s Day, Jolly received an award from Uganda Telecom for being the “Hardest Working Woman in Gulu.” This award was voted on by community members residing in Northern Uganda. Jolly was also featured in the films Invisible Children (2003) , War Dance (2006), and Emmy: The Story of an AIDS Orphan (2006).
H.E.A.L.S DANCE THERAPY PROGRAM: TRADITIONAL ACHOLI DANCE
H.E.A.L.S DANCE THERAPY PROGRAM: BREAKDANCE/HIP HOP
HEALS REPRESENTS AT THE "BREAKDANCE FOR SOCIETY SHOW" IN KAMPALA:
ABRAMZ DEMONSTRATES MOVES WHILE THE CHILDREN CREATE HIP HOP BEATS USING LOCAL INSTRUMENTS: