What if you could identify the brightest, most resilient young people displaced or orphaned by conflict, who have survived - and thrived - despite enormous odds?
What if you could bring them together in a sheltering space and help them heal, learn, and excel through exposure to maverick thinkers and mentors in areas as diverse as entrepreneurship, spirituality, technology, design, psychology - all focused on finding ways to dramatically improve the human condition through creativity, compassion, and innovation?
What if you could give them the tools, sanctuary, and encouragement to unfold and develop from their own unique blueprint into deeply authentic, connected human beings - with humility, openness, and an understanding of their place in the world as a part of the whole?
What if they used the power of their individual and collective strength to change their worlds - and through that, they changed the world for us all?
The Strongheart Fellowship Program is a groundbreaking healing and learning guidance program designed to help bright, resilient young people from extremely challenging circumstances around the globe develop into compassionate, innovative problem-solvers and leaders that can affect significant social change.
Strongheart is a US 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Please consider making a donation to support our young people. We're very responsible stewards and work hard to maximize donations to make a major impact in their lives. You will receive a receipt to use for tax purposes for any donation. Thank you so very much for your support.
When she was just a little girl, Evelyn Apoko was abducted in the middle of the night by a brutal rebel group in Uganda that calls themselves The Lord's Resistance Army. Left unchecked by the world community for decades, the group - which is also known as the LRA - has abducted thousands of children to serve as soldiers, porters or sex slaves. After years in captivity, Evelyn was badly wounded and faced the terrible choice of attempting a near-impossible escape or certain death at the hands of the rebels who were repelled by her horrific injuries. Miraculously, Evelyn escaped and made it to a rehab center and hospital, where she came to the attention of Strongheart.
An example of remarkable courage and icon of resilience, Evelyn has undertaken the long journey of healing mind, body, and spirit as a Strongheart Fellow with strength, grace, and determination.
She was recently featured on FACING TRAUMA, which followed her as she underwent yet another surgery to repair the damage done to her during her time with the rebels. This clip features Strongheart Executive Director Zoe Adams and Evelyn, just before another surgery:
Another clip from the show, featuring Evelyn, Executive Director Zoe Adams, and Strongheart Fellow Grace Freeman (a former child slave from Liberia and one of Evelyn's closest friends):
Recently, President Obama authorized a small group of 100 US military advisors to work with local African armies on strategies to apprehend the LRA and end their long reign of terror. When Evelyn heard that a prominent US media professional misguidedly criticized this action, she had this to say:
