One of those atrocities occurred about seven years ago, when rebels attacked Jennifer's village. She and her father were in their hut. They ordered him to leave and killed him as he obeyed. They ordered her to stay and then set fire to the hut.
Jennifer suffered serious burns to her face, chest and arm that received little medical attention for years.
Folks who read her story wanted to help. In December, she arrived in the United States to live, mainly, in Philadelphia and undergo surgery in the metro Washington area by plastic surgeon Craig Dufresne, a talented yet humble doctor.
If she were to go home to Uganda tomorrow, Jennifer Anyayo would already have benefited immensely.
The appearance and functionality of her face have improved after one series of operations at Fairfax Hospital, INOVA Health Systems, in Fairfax, Va. Part of her hairline, which was burned off to the top of her head, has been restored.
Doctors removed scar tissue, loosened her cheek skin to protect her eyesight, put small implants into her cheeks, and did a little work to rebuild her nose.
She made dear friends with children her age in Maryland, where she stayed for the summer. Her English improved dramatically at the Washington International School's language camp.
It has not been a perfect visit. Jennifer has adjusted to U.S. teen culture, with its coarse media and music, a bit too well. She is moody - just like an American teen.
But Jennifer is not an American teen. She is the child of war, and she carries with her the emotional trauma of war. Add the stress of being in a new country undergoing surgery.
Jennifer will be happy to reunite in Uganda with her mother and siblings, whom she deeply misses. But she will have to readjust to her own culture.
