Grace Akallo

A Ugandan activist who survived abduction by the Lord's Resistance Army and became a global advocate against child soldier recruitment

Grace Akallo, born in 1982, is a Ugandan human rights advocate who survived abduction by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and emerged as a leading voice against child soldier recruitment. In 1996, she was among 130 schoolgirls captured from St. Mary's College in Aboke. After enduring two years of captivity and forced combat, she escaped and fled to Kenya. Her story gained international attention through CNN coverage, prompting global awareness of the LRA's atrocities. Akallo resettled in the U.S. in 2000 and earned a degree in political science, later becoming a vocal advocate for child protection. She co-founded the Enough Project to address LRA violence and testified before the U.S. Congress to increase international intervention. Her activism contributed to the 2010 deployment of African Union peacekeepers to track LRA leaders. Akallo's memoir Child Soldier: A Former Abductee's Journey for Peace (2015) details her experiences and remains a key resource in anti-child soldier campaigns. She continues advocating through platforms like UNICEF, emphasizing trauma recovery and community rebuilding.