Gordon Student Speaks to U.S. Congress at Endangered Children of Uganda Hearing

MEDIA CONTACT: Cyndi McMahon
Office of College Communications
978.867.4236

WENHAM, MA -Grace Akallo, a college student studying communications at Gordon College, has spoken nationally on her experience as an abducted child survivor from Northern Uganda where she was kidnapped at gunpoint by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)-a designated terrorist organization-and forced to be a soldier at the age of 14. Akallo has shared her amazing story of survival on the Oprah Winfrew Show and CNN. But now her moment to tell her story to the United States national leaders who could help politically impact change has finally arrived.

Grace will fly to Washington today and tell her story at a United States House of Representatives Committee hearing on Wednesday, April 26 at 2 p.m. Akallo's story includes trials of child abduction, murder, forced child marriage, even the horror of being buried alive and digging her way out of her own grave. Other expert witnesses will include Jeffrey Krilla, deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor, U.S. Dept. of State; Dr. Rick Brennan, director of Health International Rescue Committee; Michelle Brown, U.N. advocate, Refugees International. His Excellency Amama Mbabazi, Uganda's minister of defense, will also testify. A Capitol Hill press conference with the Gordon communication's student and Rep. Christopher Smith, chairman, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, will take place on Wednesday before the hearing at 11:30 a.m.

Akallo, a junior at Gordon College, has been asked to share her story by World Vision-a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision helps serve the world's poor regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

For information on Akallo, contact Pat Jones in the Office of College Communications at Gordon College at 978.867.4036.

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Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore. The college offers majors in 36 fields and has graduate programs in education and music education. Leading the way in Christian college merit, Gordon is nationally ranked for its excellence in academics and its role in character building. These achievements recognize Gordon as one of the nation's top Christian colleges.

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