USAID announced a new award that will help communities in the Central Africa Republic (CAR) reduce their vulnerability to violence from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), recently.  The Secure, Empowered, Connected Communities (SECC) program will support communities to develop and implement security plans and reduce their isolation and vulnerability through communications technology and skills building.  The three-year award advances community-driven solutions to complex and enduring problems.  The program will be implemented by Catholic Relief Services. 

For over two decades, the LRA terrorized communities, abducted civilians, and forced children to become soldiers across northern Uganda.  Since the LRA was driven out of Uganda in 2006, northern Uganda has undergone a remarkable transformation due in part to sustained support from USAID. While the LRA has been weakened, it continues to pose a deadly threat to the communities in the region bordering the CAR, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Republic of South Sudan.