Nobel Peace Prize nominee Victor Ochen met with UWM students, alumni and faculty Sept. 30, telling them about growing up in war-torn Northern Uganda and his work with victims of the conflicts in the country.
Ochen, 33, was Uganda’s first Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2015. He often endured hunger and was faced with the choice of joining the government army or becoming a child soldier for the opposition Lord’s Resistance Army.
He did neither, explaining later, “I had in my mind that war had made us suffer too long. If I ever became a leader I would act differently.”
Ochen told members of the College of Nursing and Master’s of Sustainable Peace programs about his efforts to build sustainable peace in Uganda.
His focus is on speaking for the victims, and working with young people who have been damaged by 25 years of war. In 2005, he founded the African Youth Initiative Network, which works to heal physical and mental trauma and encourage future leaders.
He said he was humbled by his nomination, the first-ever for a Ugandan, and sees it as an opportunity to be a role model for other African young people. “To see the people’s reaction is exciting. (I hope) it is an inspiration to other young people who have survived.”
