Ugandan Victor Ochen has spent 71 percent of his life time living in a war zone. Despite all of life's major hurdles, he's now representing East Africa as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He now follows the footsteps of the late Prof. Wangari Maathai who was a recipient of the much coveted prize.

"My childhood was very painful. I spent 20 of my 28 years amid war and witnessed all sorts of human rights abuses. Together with my family, I often survived on just one meal a day and sometimes had to go without food," Ochen says on his enoughproject.org website. He is the director of the African Youth Initiative network.

The Tutu Fellowship awardee used to live near a Lords Resistant Army (LRA) camp and lived to see several massacres happen. People lost their lives before his eyes.

" My brother and I burnt charcoal and sold it in order to pay for our school fees. Because we chose not to pick up guns or join the army, we became targets for abduction by the LRA. Some of my classmates felt such desperation and helplessness that they deliberately allowed themselves to be abducted by the LRA," he narrates on his page.

Despite the fact that a bright future seemed something impossible in his life, he has now risen above his expectations and beaten all the odds.

Today, he works with war victims and helps them get back to shape. This includes provision of lifesaving medical assistance, promoting tolerance, reconciliation, forgiveness and development among the communities as well as sharing his inspirational story with youth around the world.