"I did not kill anyone for the first four days of my captivity and then, on the fifth day, they said I had to prove I wasn't scared, they took me back to my village and ordered me to kill my father. At first, I said no, I can't kill my father, but then they said they'd kill us all and started beating me with a panga [machete]. I took the panga and cut him up. I then saw them do it to my mother. The first night, I was haunted by visions of my father as I tried to sleep. I could only cry silent tears as the rebels could not know that I regretted what I had done. They do it so that you can't go back home."

Okello John's" brutal initiation into the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) at the age of fourteen served its purpose; it was two years before he tried to escape, bound to his new "family" through fear and complicity. By abducting their soldiers young, LRA commanders ensure that they have pliant, easily malleable underlings. The LRA leader, a self-styled soothsayer named Joseph Kony, reaps the harvest of those he orphans. During 19 years of struggle, it is estimated that between 20,000 and 25,000 children have been abducted -- 12,000 since 2002.

I became aware of Watoto in April when a group of girls from my church went to the Hillsong women's conference at the Royal Albert Hall. They showed us a DVD called "Invisible Children" (www.invisiblechildren.com) which at first I though was just another film about starving African children but what I saw shocked me to the core.

At the end of the film many of us sat and wept at the injustice of it all and decided we could not just get emotional and do nothing. We also heard about a project in Uganda called Watoto, which means children in Swahili (www.watoto.com). Watoto have a fantastic formula where they take a house mother (possibly an AIDS widow) and give her a home where she looks after 8 children. They are starting a village in Gulu in Uganda at the heart of the child soldier abduction area.

"Watoto villages are built to become self-sustaining, a holistic model providing for the complete needs of the child and the community. In addition to the homes, each village includes a complete school system, a medical clinic, a church/community center, an agricultural project providing food, a clean water source and electrical power.

"The homes themselves accommodate eight children and a house mother. They consist of three bedrooms, a kitchen, living area and bathroom. Each house also has running water and electricity - an uncommon amenity in Uganda. They are constructed of brick and steel on a concrete slab, have windows with shutters, porches, flower beds and clothes lines! Each house is furnished with bunk beds for the kids, living and dining room furniture, and an abundance of love. "

It is my personal goal not to rest until I have seen my friends and I raise enough money to build one of these houses. A Watoto house costs £16,000 - a large amount of money on one hand but not impossible with a group of people working together. With the abduction of Madeleine McCann, quite rightly, the world has stopped and taken notice of one missing child but I am passionate about making a difference for the thousands of nameless, abducted and brutalised children who have no voice.

In August 2007 I went to,Uganda to help build a house. In a small way I want to make a difference. I would love to go back again and build another. I can give my time and energy - can you give some money for the building materials?

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Watoto Child Care Ministries will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.