Award-winning movie actor and producer Forest Whitaker is back in Uganda, on a call of duty with his Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) –an international organization that since 2012 has worked to transform the lives of youth in the refugee camps of Northern Uganda.
(WDI is actually an international organisation founded by the movie star, since 2012 working to foster peace and reconciliation in disadvantaged and fragile communities in the different regions of the world including Africa, Latin America and the United States.)
Whitaker, the founder of WPDI, jetted into the country over the weekend and is currently in Northern Uganda going about work at the initiative he founded and heads. Activities he is undertaking include inspecting the progress of the organisation’s work, speaking to youth and interacting with the community, among others.
Speaking at the WPDI community learning center, Whitaker told the youth that each one of them has a spark in them that can light up the world. The movie actor thereafter interacted with the youth and was seen joining them in traditional dances .
Whitaker is believed to have adopted Uganda as his second home after featuring in a Ugandan movie ‘Last King of Scotland’ where he acted as President Idi Amin.
Besides training youth in vocational and general life skills, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, working in partnership with other organizations like Star Key Cares, has helped bring the gift of hearing to those that have ear-related health problems in rural northern Uganda.
