Bellagio Residency: October 2023
Project: “Memoir”
Victor Ochen is a Nobel Peace Prize nominated activist and member of the Global Advisory Group to the UN Refugee Agency on Gender, Forced Displacement and Protection. He grew up amidst the violent conflict in Uganda where 60,000+ children were abducted and forcefully recruited as child-soldiers, including his brother who is still missing. Victor visited Bellagio in October 2023 to write a memoir, which he hopes will bring hope to millions of children around the world who identify with his life story. He is currently the Founder and Executive Director of the African Youth Initiative Network, which provides reconstructive medical repair to LRA war victims of rape, mutilation, and gun shots.
Featured Talk: TED Salon
Victor Ochen is the founder and executive director of the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET). Born in Northern Uganda, he spent 21 years living amid violent conflict that displaced more than three million people and forcefully recruited more than 60,000 children as soldiers, including his own brother. Through his organization AYINET, he has provided reconstructive medical rehabilitation and support for more than 25,000 war survivors in Northern Uganda. A transformative leader with over 20 years of experience, Ochen has trained tens of thousands of youths in leadership, peacebuilding and development across Africa.
In 2015, Ochen became the first Ugandan and youngest African to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 10 most powerful men and a new hope for Africa. A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and Desmond Tutu Fellow, he advises the UN on gender and forced displacement, consults for the African Union on youth in peace and security and is building the African Peace Academy in Uganda to promote youth leadership in conflict resolution. His work focuses on African unity, poverty reduction, economic empowerment and climate change mitigation.