But, his search for his mother continues.

Joseph is a fictional character. But his story is not. This is because his story is based on, as the British Red Cross says, “events that have happened to real people in any number of conflicts around the world.”

And so, the British Red Cross has publicised Joseph's story in the form of an online game - called "Traces of Hope." The launching of this game was part of Civilians and Conflict Month, which is a media campaign during October aimed at increasing awareness of the work the British Red Cross does in helping victims of conflict overseas - such as the child advocacy and rehabilitation centre in Sierra Leone - and back in the United Kingdom, where it administers refugee services.

Indeed, increasing awareness of the ways in which the British Red Cross helps victims of conflict is a reason for the name of the online game. “One of the aims of the game for us is to highlight the work of the Red Cross International Tracing and Messaging Service, hence ‘Traces' of Hope,” Penny Sims, spokesperson at the British Red Cross, said during an interview with MediaGlobal.

In the game, Joseph has just 24 hours to find a Red Cross messenger who may have fresh news of his mother, and so the player must act quickly in order to help Joseph find her.

Besides Northern Uganda, Sierra Leone and the UK, the British Red Cross also works with people in conflict in the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Darfur. The reason Northern Uganda was the place chosen for "Traces of Hope" is because of the work the British Red Cross does in that part of the country. “Of course there are many areas experiencing conflict around the world, but we have one of our key programs in Uganda,” Sims said.

After signing up for "Traces of Hope," players must wait until Joseph contacts them with news on his situation. The game's designers say that clues have been placed around the internet, in order to blur the boundaries between the game and the real world. Players visit websites, and try to gather the required information that would help Joseph.

“We've pulled out all the stops to create an experience where players will feel they are really interacting with Joseph's world - by communicating directly with Joseph, players find themselves caught up in a hunt across the internet to reunite him with his mother,” Dorothea Arndt, new media manager at the British Red Cross, said.

While players try and figure out how to reunite Joseph with his mother, there are several others who are stuck in the same terrifying situation. The British Red Cross has highlighted their stories, which are filled with fear and hope. One of these stories comes from 18-year-old Helen.

Helen is from Sierra Leone. The ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone cost Helen and her family. “I was caught with my parents. My parents were killed and I was taken away and gang-raped. The men who took me threatened to kill me if I left and forced me to carry a gun. This went on for three years,” she said.

However, after the end of the civil war, Helen was given the chance to hope again. The Red Cross' Child Advocacy and Rehabilitation (CAR) centre at Kailahun in Sierra Leone provides psychological support and skills training to victims of conflict. It helped find her an apprenticeship as a tailor, which has given her the chance to be financially self-sufficient in the future.

Playing "Traces of Hope" will not only increase the player's awareness of the Red Cross' work, but also of victims of war. “During Civilians and Conflict Month, we want to challenge and change the public's perception of vulnerable people whose lives are affected by armed conflict, to tell their compelling stories and to enable the British public to see beyond the stereotypes and help improve lives,” Ros Armitage, operations manager for conflict at the British Red Cross, said.

To register to play, go to http://www.tracesofhope.com/.

Article published courtesy of MediaGlobal