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fear the former child soldiers and many parents have not accept their children back into their families, particularly the girls who came home with children of their own. Some believe that the child soldiers were "possessed by evil spirits". Though Akallo was accepted by her own family, this lack of support made returning home for most child soldiers particularly difficult, and many children have considered returning to the rebels or joining the military to avoid this.
211:. Upon her escape from the LRA, Akallo began working as an advocate for peace and for the rights of African women and children. She has been using both her experiences as a child soldier and the information she has gained in her higher education to advocate against violence and the use of child soldiers, as well as to help counsel other escaped child soldiers like herself.
425:
Akallo realized she could help rehabilitate other former child soldiers, like herself. She decided to begin working as an advocate for peace and for the rights of
African women and children. In a 2013 interview with UNICEF, Akallo says: "Even children who spent more than 10 years in captivity can get
502:
Akallo has also been in touch with a non-profit organization in Uganda called
Empowering Hands. Though she is not one of the founders, nor works directly for the organization, Empowering Hands was founded by a group of former LRA child soldiers, some of whom were in the same camp as Akallo had been.
486:
Akallo wants to share her story in an effort to raise awareness of the effects of violence on children involved in war and what action can be done to stop the violence and rehabilitate ex-child soldiers. In her advocacy, Akallo pays particular attention to the stories of young girls as their stories
288:
The LRA soldiers took Akallo and the other abducted children to Sudan, where they were trained to be child soldiers. They were beaten and tortured and forced to kill other children in the group who had disobeyed orders. During her time in the LRA, Akallo was trained to march and to clean, dismantle,
265:
On the night of Akallo's abduction, the LRA soldiers broke into the dorm through the windows while the girls and their dormitory supervisor, Alupu Jemma Obace, tried to run and hide. The LRA soldiers tied the young girls to a rope and forced them to walk for an entire night, threatening to kill them
421:
After returning home from the war, Akallo returned to school. However, her community has not looked favorably upon the returned child soldiers. They have been ostracized for their actions in the army; and girls face further stigmatization because of them having been raped. Community members often
332:
on 9 April 1997. Akallo took this as her chance to finally escape the army. She ran away and hid for three days in the bushes, finding a group of other escaped child soldiers on her fourth day in hiding. They were found by
Ugandan soldiers who helped them to return home to their families. The
511:
Most notably, in 2009, Akallo started a non-profit organization in
America called United Africans for Women and Children's Rights (UAWCR) that aims to protect the rights of African women and children. In addition, she cofounded the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW) through
297:(SPLA), having to rely heavily on their instincts for survival. She learned to shoot a rifle during the first raid she was a part of in a group of 700 randomly selected child soldiers. The children were organized into rows and told to raid a village for food and shoot at the villagers.
218:, as well as worked on several different advocacy projects, including contributing to the passage of amendments to the 2008 Child Soldiers Accountability Act. and delivering speeches about her experience as a former child soldier Akallo has also started a non-profit organization in
498:
and delivering testimonies. She delivered a testimony during the hearing for amendments to the 2008 Child
Soldiers Accountability Act, which helped contribute to the passage of those amendments. This act prohibits the use of child soldiers and serves to punish those who do.
320:
At one point during the war, exhaustion and dehydration caused Akallo to faint. The LRA soldiers thought she was dead and had the other child soldiers dig a grave for her body. She also tried to shoot herself on two different occasions. In
266:
if they did not obey. The next morning, the LRA soldiers released 109 of the children back to the school's headmistress, Sister
Rachelle, after she pleaded with LRA Commander Laguira, but Akallo was one of the 30 girls who was left behind.
480:
429:
Akallo's activism began when she returned to St. Mary's
College to finish high school. She worked alongside the headmistress, Sister Rachelle, at the Sister Rachelle Rehabilitation Centre to help counsel other escaped child soldiers.
507:
with Akallo, along with a number of other women involved in the programme. Their goal is to counsel and rehabilitate female ex-child soldiers and help them reunite with their communities and have a chance at a better future.
352:
in Aboke, Uganda, for high school. Her education there was interrupted, however, when she was abducted by the LRA and forced to fight as a child soldier. After escaping from the army seven months later, Akallo returned to
528:. The goal of NYPAW is to form connections between different countries where children have been affected by violence as child soldiers and reach out to find what aid those young people need and want to better help them.
304:
by the LRA soldiers, who raped and beat them. Each girl was given to a leader of the LRA to become one of their "wives". Akallo says that "to become somebody's wife forcefully, it affects your spirit forever", in
459:. In addition, Akallo has been asked to give many speeches at many educational establishments, raising awareness by sharing her story and the stories of other former child soldiers. Some of these schools include
285:, Akallo recounts how Commander Laguira told them: "Forget about Uganda. If you ever escape, that is what is going to happen to you." The child soldiers were forced to obey or they would be beaten and/or killed.
491:, Akallo says that helping to counsel and rehabilitate former child soldiers is especially important because "if we allow them to be a lost generation, it's not just this generation that is going to be lost".
199:. She remained in the LRA for seven months before escaping. After escaping the army, Akallo returned to St. Mary's College to finish her high school education. She began her college education at the
281:, specifically, on their way to Sudan. When one of the girls tried to escape, Akallo and the others were forced to beat her until one of the rebels killed the girl with an axe. In the documentary
226:. Several biographical texts and documentaries have been written and produced documenting the experiences of Akallo and her fellow child soldiers, most notably being the 2007 autobiography;
222:
called United
Africans for Women and Children's Rights (UAWCR), aiming to protect the rights of African women and children; and cofounded the Network of Young People Affected by War through
433:
Later, when she was in college at the Uganda
Christian University (UCU), Akallo started giving speeches about her experiences as a child soldier. While at UCU, she was invited to travel to
576:
United
Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict | To promote and protect the rights of all children affected by armed conflict
273:––a walk that took them two weeks to complete––carrying loads of heavy supplies. The LRA soldiers also abducted more children along the way, passing through the villages of
487:
are not usually highlighted and they often suffer more than boys from being child soldiers as they have been subjected to sexual assault and rape. In the documentary
1203:
1057:
333:
escaped child soldiers were driven back to Uganda where their parents and one of the Sisters from St. Mary's College, Sister Akali, met them.
309:. Though Akallo herself did not become pregnant, many of the young girls did, later returning home with children and having been infected by
1253:
1223:
1233:
300:
The female child soldiers experienced violence in another way as well. Despite their young ages, the girls, including Akallo, were also
752:
1263:
571:
293:
rifle, but she had to learn how to use the rifle on her own. Akallo and her fellow child soldiers were forced to fight against the
1193:
1238:
658:
1228:
258:, normally a day of celebration; however, on this day, Akallo and 138 other young girls were abducted from their dorm room at
1183:
1178:
1163:
783:
1153:
802:
317:. The child mothers were still forced to fight in the war, both while pregnant and while carrying children on their backs.
336:
Akallo had been held captive by the LRA, subject to abuse and forced to fight and kill, for seven months before escaping.
1208:
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381:. She applied and received a scholarship to finish her undergraduate degree at Gordon College. There, Akallo majored in
712:
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294:
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80:
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310:
785:
Report on the Activities of the Committee on the Judiciary ,... January 3, 2009, 110-2 House Report 110-941
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259:
214:
Akallo has since worked for different organizations, such as the Sister Rachelle Rehabilitation Centre and
184:
68:
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Akallo has also catalyzed action in Washington D.C. to help end the violence in Uganda by lobbying to the
357:
in order to complete her high-school education, and on graduating, she began her college education at the
358:
200:
74:
1248:
1091:
961:
Moynagh, Maureen (Fall 2016). "Making and Unmaking: Child-Soldier Memoirs and Human Rights Readers".
406:
255:
251:
176:
981:"Imagine Worcester: Imagine Worcester: Grace Akallo, Rehabilitated Girl Child Soldier - WCCA TV 194"
980:
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Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
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445:. Akallo soon after transferred to Gordon College and was invited to be a spokesperson for
8:
717:
464:
390:
239:
1092:"Text - S.2135 - 110th Congress (2007-2008): Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008"
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402:
314:
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after receiving a scholarship. Akallo then went on to receive her master's degree from
525:
1065:
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833:
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better with the right support, education, training, by being accepted in society."
394:
215:
208:
168:
87:
1117:
753:"Gordon Student Speaks to U.S. Congress at Endangered Children of Uganda Hearing"
362:
349:
188:
810:
503:
Co-founders Milly Auma, Lucy Lanyero, Jennifer Achora, and Sara Ayero appear in
475:
in 2009 during a conference discussing violence prevention; and a speech to the
301:
278:
1058:"Yellow Means Stop the War in Uganda: Students lobby Congress to get involved"
479:
during a 2009 open debate on Children and Armed Conflict in connection to the
1142:
1069:
726:
434:
410:
374:
219:
521:
517:
20:
180:
788:. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Government Printing Office. 2009. p. 187.
468:
344:
Akallo's education has always been very important to her. She attended
939:
Hynes, Patricia (2017). "Girl Soldiers: Forgotten Casualties of War".
393:. She graduated Gordon College in 2007 before starting grad school at
254:(LRA) on 9 October 1996, when she was just 15 years old. October 9 is
183:. At the time of her abduction, Akallo was 15 years old and attending
803:"Young conflict survivors launch network for children caught in war"
516:
in 2008, along with others who were affected by violence, including
513:
223:
196:
164:
329:
290:
270:
230:, co-authored with Faith J. H. McDonnell, the 2015 biography
192:
86:
Master's in International Development and Social Change from
228:
Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children
136:
Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children
274:
232:
Grace Akallo and the Pursuit of Justice for Child Soldiers
450:
269:
Akallo and the other abductees were forced to march to
831:
T'Cha Dunlevy, "How girls become 'killing machines'".
659:"Grace Akallo comes back from the last place on earth"
234:
written by Kem Knapp Sawyer, and the 2010 documentary
1031:"Former child soldier speaks out for those who can't"
572:"29 Apr 2009 - Grace Akallo at the Security Council"
1140:
1006:"Rutgers University - Amnesty International USA"
245:
713:"A Child's Hell in the Lord's Resistance Army"
117:African women's and children's rights activism
401:, Massachusetts in 2008. Akallo received her
365:, Uganda. At UCU, she met students attending
328:There was an attack on the LRA by a group in
325:, Akallo says: "I escaped death many times."
467:in 2009. She also delivered a speech to the
608:"Former Kony Child Soldier Tells Her Story"
203:, but finished her undergraduate degree at
1118:"Empowering Hands, Women of the Year 2007"
1055:
1115:
569:
960:
120:Rehabilitation of former child soldiers
1141:
1116:Goldberg, Michelle (5 November 2007).
1089:
1056:Gray-Lobe, Guthrie (17 October 2006).
956:
954:
934:
932:
930:
914:"Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers"
907:
905:
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871:
869:
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865:
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416:
1204:Gordon College (Massachusetts) alumni
1090:Durbin, Richard J. (3 October 2008).
938:
861:
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855:
853:
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849:
847:
845:
843:
797:
795:
747:
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710:
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653:
651:
649:
570:Tremblay, Stephanie (29 April 2009).
565:
563:
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179:(LRA), a rebel military group led by
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541:
505:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
489:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
323:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
307:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
283:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
236:Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers
1224:People from Northern Region, Uganda
951:
927:
385:with a desire to continue studying
13:
1234:Uganda Christian University alumni
973:
911:
840:
809:. 20 November 2008. Archived from
792:
740:
262:by a group of LRA rebel soldiers.
14:
1275:
771:
681:
626:
589:
538:
1264:Violence against women in Uganda
1254:Ugandan women's rights activists
912:Canada, National Film Board of.
711:Brown, DeNeen L. (10 May 2006).
57:Uganda, United States of America
1109:
1083:
1049:
1023:
998:
941:Peace and Freedom; Philadelphia
449:, as well as tell her story on
1239:Ugandan human rights activists
825:
295:Sudan People's Liberation Army
1:
1229:Sexual abuse victim advocates
531:
311:sexually transmitted diseases
250:Akallo was abducted into the
1184:Child crime victim advocates
1179:Amnesty International people
1164:21st-century Ugandan writers
339:
246:Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
16:Ugandan activist (born 1981)
7:
1194:Children's rights activists
1154:20th-century Ugandan people
963:University of Hawai'i Press
947:: 4–5 – via ProQuest.
359:Uganda Christian University
201:Uganda Christian University
75:Uganda Christian University
41:1981 (age 42–43)
10:
1280:
1209:Kidnapped Ugandan children
1159:21st-century Ugandan women
1149:20th-century Ugandan women
90:(Worcester, Massachusetts)
18:
969:– via Project MUSE.
407:International Development
256:Uganda's Independence Day
150:
142:
129:
107:
99:
61:
53:
45:
37:
30:
1189:Child soldiers in Africa
379:student exchange program
350:Catholic boarding school
189:Catholic boarding school
171:in 1996 to be used as a
19:Not to be confused with
1244:Ugandan Roman Catholics
413:from Clark University.
387:international relations
83:(Wenham, Massachusetts)
1219:Lord's Resistance Army
1010:www.campusactivism.org
456:The Oprah Winfrey Show
252:Lord's Resistance Army
177:Lord's Resistance Army
114:Human rights activism
1199:Female child soldiers
524:, Shena A. Gacu, and
443:Amnesty International
441:to give a speech for
1174:African women in war
837:, February 11, 2011.
377:who were there on a
718:The Washington Post
477:UN Security Council
465:Brandeis University
417:Activism and career
391:conflict resolution
240:Raymonde Provencher
461:Rutgers University
355:St. Mary's College
346:St. Mary's College
302:sexually assaulted
260:St. Mary's College
185:St. Mary's College
69:St. Mary's College
1035:The Brandeis Hoot
759:. 20 October 2006
163:(born 1981) is a
158:
157:
1271:
1249:Ugandan soldiers
1133:
1132:
1130:
1128:
1113:
1107:
1106:
1104:
1102:
1096:www.congress.gov
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1081:
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834:Montreal Gazette
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769:
768:
766:
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733:
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679:
678:
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665:. Archived from
655:
624:
623:
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604:
587:
586:
584:
582:
567:
395:Clark University
289:and assemble an
209:Clark University
154:Jonathan Day Jr.
132:
88:Clark University
77:(Mukono, Uganda)
71:(Aboke, Uganda)
28:
27:
1279:
1278:
1274:
1273:
1272:
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1074:
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1038:
1037:. 20 March 2009
1029:
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979:
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813:on 6 March 2019
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741:
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682:
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669:on 28 June 2017
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614:. 19 April 2012
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539:
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526:Zlata Filipović
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403:master's degree
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33:
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985:www.wccatv.com
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757:www.gordon.edu
739:
680:
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536:
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473:Washington, DC
418:
415:
383:Communications
367:Gordon College
341:
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330:southern Sudan
247:
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205:Gordon College
167:woman who was
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108:Known for
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81:Gordon College
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65:
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59:
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35:
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31:
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1259:UNICEF people
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1242:
1240:
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1214:Living people
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520:, Kon Kelei,
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435:New York City
431:
427:
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414:
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411:Social Change
408:
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375:Massachusetts
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173:child soldier
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138:(co-authored)
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1125:. Retrieved
1121:
1111:
1099:. Retrieved
1095:
1085:
1073:. Retrieved
1061:
1051:
1039:. Retrieved
1034:
1025:
1013:. Retrieved
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988:. Retrieved
984:
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944:
940:
917:. Retrieved
832:
827:
815:. Retrieved
811:the original
806:
784:
761:. Retrieved
756:
730:. Retrieved
716:
671:. Retrieved
667:the original
662:
616:. Retrieved
612:www.wbur.org
611:
579:. Retrieved
575:
522:Emmanuel Jal
518:Ishmael Beah
510:
504:
501:
493:
488:
485:
463:in 2004 and
454:
447:World Vision
432:
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216:World Vision
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161:Grace Akallo
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146:Jonathan Day
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131:Notable work
32:Grace Akallo
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21:Grace Akello
1169:1981 births
496:US Congress
181:Joseph Kony
54:Citizenship
46:Nationality
1143:Categories
1062:The Nation
532:References
469:World Bank
100:Occupation
1070:0027-8378
727:0190-8286
399:Worcester
361:(UCU) in
340:Education
62:Education
439:New York
315:HIV/AIDS
313:such as
169:abducted
151:Children
103:Activist
1122:Glamour
220:America
175:in the
165:Ugandan
49:Ugandan
1127:15 May
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919:14 May
817:12 May
807:UNICEF
763:12 May
732:12 May
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663:UNICEF
618:12 May
581:12 May
514:UNICEF
371:Wenham
363:Mukono
279:Kitgum
224:UNICEF
197:Uganda
143:Spouse
1101:1 May
1075:1 May
1041:1 May
1015:1 May
990:1 May
291:AK-47
271:Sudan
193:Aboke
1129:2020
1103:2020
1077:2020
1066:ISSN
1043:2020
1017:2020
992:2020
921:2020
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765:2020
734:2020
723:ISSN
675:2020
620:2020
583:2020
453:and
409:and
389:and
348:, a
277:and
275:Gulu
187:, a
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471:in
451:CNN
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