At the tender age of 12, Phiona Adong's life took a tragic turn when she lost her last family member, her maternal uncle.

He had been her pillar of support, providing for everything, including her education. At the death of her uncle, Adong had no choice but to take to the unforgiving streets of Gulu City for survival.

"When my uncle died, I stopped going to school, and that's when I decided to move to town," Adong says with the bitterness of solemn recollection.

The over 20 years of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war left a trail of immeasurable trauma, agony, and widespread destruction in Northern Uganda. On top of this, it orphaned and robbed the gift of family to a generation of children.

Most have trekked to Gulu to find means of livelihood. Adong found solace on the cold streets, where she met a few of her peers. They served as barmaids for some time, but would later become prey for petty criminals.

“As we were heading to work one day a bunch of boys stopped us and beat us up to get our money and that is when I decided that this was not the life I wanted," said Phiona.

Adong’s story is not isolated. Godfrey Oyok lived on the streets from an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. It was never pleasant there. He recalls a time he saw his friends die and he could not be of any help.

“People died of sicknesses on the streets as we looked on, my friend died and I decided I could not take this life any longer,” remarked Oyok.

Apart from the after-effects of the war, there are other driving issues landing people on the street. Dorothy, a mother of two, found herself on the streets when she fled an abusive marriage.

She found it hard to go back home to burden her mother and also the society's unforgiving traits to single mothers pushed her into the world of hustle. She began with part-time jobs of cleaning and doing laundry and some people never paid her for her sweat.

“Sometimes bad-hearted people would make you do the washing and they would not pay,’’ retorted Dorah.

With the ballooning street numbers, a group of young people started a street rehabilitation initiative dubbed Hashtag Gulu, to respond to pleas and needs of a growing community of people.

It offers skills needed by especially the young people on the street to live dignified and meaningful lives.

Adong joined the community rehabilitation program two years ago, with a dream to be an actress and a hairdresser. After a period of training, she has perfected hairdressing, and slowly made it to local theater.

transformation was nothing short of remarkable. Once a street child, she now graces local stages as a talented actress—a dream she had once considered unattainable. The initiative not only nurtured her talents but also provided her with a sense of purpose and acceptance within society.

“Now people greet me with joy and I can even be in the same room with the police and they are not after me as it was in the streets,” She said.

Today, she is a trending star, her life imbued with hope and direction. Beyond theater and drama, Hashtag Gulu equipped her with hairdressing skills. She now thrives by serving house-call clients, aspiring to become a salon owner one day.

These skills rescued her from her former job as a bar waitress, providing her with a more sustainable livelihood.

For Oyok, he now earns a stable income as a hairdresser and dancer, supporting his family. His journey exemplifies how skill development can impact not just individuals but entire families.

“I am happy now that I can take care of my daughter and my mother is happy,” Oyok expressed.

Gulu City's Defense Secretary, Justine Obong, praises the Hashtag Gulu Initiative for its tireless efforts to reduce crime. He remembers a time when street children resorted to criminal activities simply to survive.

“People in our community can witness that the crime rate has dramatically reduced,’’ remarked Justine.

Irene Achio Okwir, the Hashtag Gulu Initiative's finance and administrative officer, says the rehabilitation programs are geared towards a sustainable transformative approach to post war victims.

Fields like hairdressing, tailoring, dancing, and acting become pathways for these young individuals to reclaim hope and rebuild their lives, she adds.

“We are working diligently to reintegrate the young people into the community this time as productive people,’’ Achio says.

Michael Ojok the Hashtag Gulu Initiative team leader however suggests that if policies are put into place to curb the issue of children living on the street then their goal of No Child Living on The Street will be achieved earlier.

“In terms of policy formulation, our leaders have to start caring about the people they lead and understand them,” Ojok stated.

“The other thing that can help is, if our government can come up with a comprehensive system for rehabilitating these children,like how Rwanda has put in policies to control this.” he suggested.

Through the Hashtag Gulu Initiative, these young souls have discovered that the streets, once filled with despair, can be paved with opportunities for a brighter future, offering them the chance to reclaim their hope and dreams.