Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe’s Mission to Heal Former LRA Child Soldiers
A former teenage nun now risks her life to give former Lord’s Resistance Army child soldiers skills and hope.
Sr Rosemary Nyirumbe entered religious life in her mid‑teens and later focused on a stark vocation: helping children who survived the worst trauma imaginable.
The Lord’s Resistance Army began terrorising northern Uganda in the 1980s, abducting countless boys and girls and forcing them into child‑soldier roles. Many were compelled to commit atrocities, and numerous girls bore children fathered by rebel leaders, leaving deep psychological scars.
When these former combatants attempted to return home, they were often rejected by families and communities, according to Sr Rosemary. In response, she set up programs that teach practical skills such as sewing, while also reminding the youths that “God had not rejected them for the atrocities they had been forced to commit.”
Sr Rosemary has repeatedly placed herself in great danger to carry out this work. She reports that even modest gestures of kindness can affect the hearts of battle‑hardened rebels.
The episode of The Documentary Podcast features Mike Wooldridge interviewing Sr Rosemary about her astonishing story and ongoing mission.
