For 22+ years Uganda has been plagued by war. A rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has taken up arms. Abducting over 60,000 children and forcing them to be soldiers; to kill or be killed.
 
These children are violently abducted, indoctrinated, and forced to kill or be killed. The girls are forced to fight as the boys do but are also raped, and given to soldiers as their "wives" often as a reward for high-ranking officers. Many of these girls become impregnated by their captors and give birth. It is common for them to contract HIV/AIDS and pass it on to their children, as well. These girls range in age from 10- 20 years old and are known as "child mothers" and are the primary focus of Zion Projects efforts.

Zion Project was created to restore these young girl's lives and give them a chance to dream again. We do this by providing safety, community support, and love.

Our vision is to transform hearts and empower the lives of girl child soldiers and child mothers to revolutionize war-affected communities in Africa.

Rehabilitation Home- ZION PROJECT HOUSE
Counseling
Life Skills
Vocational Training
Spiritual Mentoring
Photo Empowerment Project
Education
Child care for babies
Parenting classes

In 2006, our founder, Sarita Hartz, lived in Uganda for five months and saw with her own eyes things she had only read about. She saw the disease, starvation, and desperation of communities that were now forced to live in crowded camps because of a 20 year long war the outside world knows little about. She heard the community say they wanted to go back home and they wanted to work their own land. She saw their courage, and she experienced the beauty of a people who fight every day to survive and do it often with laughter. But she also saw the injustice. Most of all, the young girls not going to school, but caring for infants as a result of their rapes. Sarita sat down and listened to these girls and found that while some are taken to reception centers upon escaping their captors, most do not receive counseling or care after being returned to their camp. Their neighbors often call them and their children "killers." Frustrated by larger organizations, she decided to start her own to ensure that donor's money would be invested where they intended: in the lives of those who need it most. Tired of reading headlines and feeling powerless to do something, she felt compelled to begin something that would have movement and encourage people to take action. She currently lives in Uganda where she runs the programs on the ground.
To contact Sarita, email her at sarita@zionproject.org