I bring greetings to you from Northern Uganda. Catharine, Megan, Francis and I returned from our trip last Friday afternoon. The best way to describe the experience would be to say that it was full of contrasts. Beauty and brokenness. Delight and heartbreak. Poverty and prosperity. Ruin and resilience. The countryside bares incredible scars from the lingering effects of war, disease, and neglect. But hope shines brightly. Let me attempt to relate my experience and my heart:
Leaving the city and going north is like entering into a whole different world. The wounds of war still lurk around every corner. The visible scars manifest themselves in the form of poorly maintained roads, obvious poverty, and the plethora of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps that dot the landscape. But there is a less apparent wound carried in the hearts of many people who suffered from the protracted, cruel war that ravaged their lives. (If you don’t know about Uganda’s civil war, read the post entitled "Uganda and Children of Hope".) Not only have most lost family members, but their lives have been uprooted and devastated by the indirect effects of war. The IDP camps were originally built by the Ugandan government as a way to protect people. In the midst of the civil war, the LRA rebels would frequently attack unprotected villages in the countryside where they could extract food, labor, and new “recruits” (often children). The government set up the camps to provide a more protected settlement for people than what they had in their isolated villages. 
At first, relocation to the camps was optional, but then later, it became mandatory. The idea was to have government troops stationed in the camps so as to deter an attack by the rebels. Unfortunately, the camps often just became easier targets for the rebels since they knew that they could find a ready supply of goods and recruits at these locations. The government troops would simply “disappear” (flee) when they heard of an impending raid by the LRA, which left the people in the camps vulnerable and defenseless. It became a common practice for children to leave their homes each night to sleep in the bush. Being away from their homes and from the camps lessened their chances of capture during an early morning raid by the rebels. For those of you who have seen Invisible Children, you also know that many would walk up to 8 kilometers to town each night to sleep on the verandas or in the basements of the town’s buildings. The hope was that the rebels would be too afraid to attack a large urban area. Fortunately, these practices have become unnecessary in recent years since rebel activity has ceased and the peace talks have begun. Now remains the looming task of reconstructing the countryside and rebuilding lives.
At first, relocation to the camps was optional, but then later, it became mandatory. The idea was to have government troops stationed in the camps so as to deter an attack by the rebels. Unfortunately, the camps often just became easier targets for the rebels since they knew that they could find a ready supply of goods and recruits at these locations. The government troops would simply “disappear” (flee) when they heard of an impending raid by the LRA, which left the people in the camps vulnerable and defenseless. It became a common practice for children to leave their homes each night to sleep in the bush. Being away from their homes and from the camps lessened their chances of capture during an early morning raid by the rebels. For those of you who have seen Invisible Children, you also know that many would walk up to 8 kilometers to town each night to sleep on the verandas or in the basements of the town’s buildings. The hope was that the rebels would be too afraid to attack a large urban area. Fortunately, these practices have become unnecessary in recent years since rebel activity has ceased and the peace talks have begun. Now remains the looming task of reconstructing the countryside and rebuilding lives.
Children of Hope is currently working in the Koro Abili IDP camp which is just outside of Gulu. There are about 130 children enrolled in the project at this site. The IDP camps in Uganda have been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The people live in small huts built very close together. There is no running water and, of course, no electricity. In Koro Abili itself, there are somewhere around 10,000 people. They all share one water pump and one well (which thankfully has clean water).
Health and sanitation are extremely poor. Food is scarce. The World Food Program (UN) does provide some food. However, because the peace talks seem to indicate an end to the war, foreign interest has begun to dwindle and the UN is starting to divert their funding to other areas of the world. They have already pulled out of many areas in and around Northern Uganda, leaving a vacuum of need and instability behind them. There are many other NGOs and large aid organizations in the area. But conditions in the camps remain poor. It makes one wonder just where all that money is going. The children suffer the most. Almost every single child I saw in that camp was malnourished. The children in our project and in other sponsorship programs remain the exception since they receive better care and food through their sponsorship. However, there are many children who receive little or no aid. They suffer in relative anonymity.
Life is most difficult for the children who have been left to survive on their own. Many have lost one or both parents to war or to AIDS. Others have been neglected by parents too wounded by reality to deal with the responsibilities of life. There are about 50 or 60 children in COH who are 
part of child-headed households. In these households, responsibility falls on the eldest child, often between the ages of 12 and 17, who usually cares for several younger siblings and/or cousins. One “family” in our project consists of a 13-year old boy who is caring for three younger siblings: two brothers ages 9 and 7, and a 5-year old sister who is paralyzed from the waist down. Before coming into the project, the he would spend time each day scavenging for food from the scrap piles to feed himself and his siblings. Now, with sponsorship, the three boys are able to attend school and to receive food each day for their family. The little girl, who used to crawl to get around, now has a wheelchair for transportation. Her second oldest brother, Jimmy, stays loyally by her side at all times to watch over her (see picture at left).
part of child-headed households. In these households, responsibility falls on the eldest child, often between the ages of 12 and 17, who usually cares for several younger siblings and/or cousins. One “family” in our project consists of a 13-year old boy who is caring for three younger siblings: two brothers ages 9 and 7, and a 5-year old sister who is paralyzed from the waist down. Before coming into the project, the he would spend time each day scavenging for food from the scrap piles to feed himself and his siblings. Now, with sponsorship, the three boys are able to attend school and to receive food each day for their family. The little girl, who used to crawl to get around, now has a wheelchair for transportation. Her second oldest brother, Jimmy, stays loyally by her side at all times to watch over her (see picture at left).We made the trip to Gulu for the purpose of seeing the new feeding center and helping the children to write letters to their sponsors. Children of
Hope recently purchased some land within Koro Abili where the building of a “feeding center” was just completed (see picture at right). This month, we will begin serving regular meals for the children of child-headed households. With no adults in the home, these children must cook for themselves - a task that consumes much time and energy. Providing meals to the children will allow them more time to do schoolwork and other tasks that come with caring for a family. The feeding center is built on a large tract of land that also serves as a playing field for the kids from the camp. Any child, whether sponsored by COH or not, is welcome to come play on the property during the week. There will oftentimes be several football (soccer) games going on at the field all at one time!
Hope recently purchased some land within Koro Abili where the building of a “feeding center” was just completed (see picture at right). This month, we will begin serving regular meals for the children of child-headed households. With no adults in the home, these children must cook for themselves - a task that consumes much time and energy. Providing meals to the children will allow them more time to do schoolwork and other tasks that come with caring for a family. The feeding center is built on a large tract of land that also serves as a playing field for the kids from the camp. Any child, whether sponsored by COH or not, is welcome to come play on the property during the week. There will oftentimes be several football (soccer) games going on at the field all at one time!On Saturday, the children congregated at the feeding center for a day of letter writing. The children write letters to their sponsors three times a year. The younger ones are given pencils and crayons to draw a picture while the older ones are given paper to write a letter.
Catharine, Megan, Francis, Alfred, and I read over the letters and corrected them once the children were finished writing. This could sometimes be a tedious task, especially for the children who do not yet know English very well. English is not spoken as confidently upcountry as it is in the city. The older children could communicate fairly well, but the younger ones have a harder time speaking and understanding English. Most Ugandans from this area are member of the Acholi tribe whose language is called Luo. (Fortunately, Francis and some other friends from Kampala taught me some simple Luo phrases before I left. It worked wonders and brought smiles from the kids when they were greeted in their native tongue.) It took us most of the morning and afternoon to complete the letters. Then everyone was fed lunch: cassava and tea. Mmm! The children also received supplies for the next school term as well as a special treat: soda!
Catharine, Megan, Francis, Alfred, and I read over the letters and corrected them once the children were finished writing. This could sometimes be a tedious task, especially for the children who do not yet know English very well. English is not spoken as confidently upcountry as it is in the city. The older children could communicate fairly well, but the younger ones have a harder time speaking and understanding English. Most Ugandans from this area are member of the Acholi tribe whose language is called Luo. (Fortunately, Francis and some other friends from Kampala taught me some simple Luo phrases before I left. It worked wonders and brought smiles from the kids when they were greeted in their native tongue.) It took us most of the morning and afternoon to complete the letters. Then everyone was fed lunch: cassava and tea. Mmm! The children also received supplies for the next school term as well as a special treat: soda!
I cannot explain it, but in the midst of that dirty, deplorable camp, I felt a strong sense of hope and peace. Under all the poverty and the suffering, there is a firm resilience in the eyes of many people, especially the children. The children we saw were often, as I mentioned, malnourished and wearing very old and ill-fitting clothes. Many of the littlest children wore no clothes at all. Their reaction to seeing us was at first one of timidity and uncertainty. But, on the first visit, I eventually had at least 15 children clinging to my arms at one point. Once they worked up the courage to come close, they would hold our hands or follow us around as we walked through the camp. Later, I had the opportunity to go out and “play” with some of these kids (not in our project). They were delighted… and so was I. I was overwhelmed with their incredibly desperate situation and yet their incredibly resilient spirits. So much heartbreak… and yet so much hope.
Please join me in praying for the children of Uganda’s “war generation”. Pray that they can get the basic things they need to survive. Pray that they can get an education to escape the cycle of poverty. Pray that they would know the hope and truth that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.
More on the rest of our trip tomorrow…
More on the rest of our trip tomorrow…
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