“Iya yom tutwal me nene.” The translation of this Acholi phrase is: “I am so happy to see you!” I found myself using this phrase often as I reconnected with the families and staff of Hope Alive! Gulu last week. Gulu has always had
a special place in my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed once again in the beauty of northern Uganda and culture of the Acholi people.
a special place in my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed once again in the beauty of northern Uganda and culture of the Acholi people.There have been changes in Gulu since last year. F
or one, the IDP (internally displaced persons) camps are finally being dismantled. Just within the last decade, these camps had been named the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Now, the land that used to house thousands of internally displaced refugees is starting to return to its natural state. There have been over two years of peace. The peoples of northern Uganda feel secure enough now to leave the camps and return to their homes in the “village”. For the first time in two decades, they can “dig”, or farm, their own land without fear of attack from the rebels. Children can once again walk to school without fear of abduction and conscription by the rebel army.
At Koro Abili IDP camp where Hope Alive! works, all that remains of the once numerous huts are piles of bricks now sprouting cassava or maize. The only people still remaining in the “camp” are the elderly and the orphaned who have no place to go and no one to care for them.
or one, the IDP (internally displaced persons) camps are finally being dismantled. Just within the last decade, these camps had been named the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Now, the land that used to house thousands of internally displaced refugees is starting to return to its natural state. There have been over two years of peace. The peoples of northern Uganda feel secure enough now to leave the camps and return to their homes in the “village”. For the first time in two decades, they can “dig”, or farm, their own land without fear of attack from the rebels. Children can once again walk to school without fear of abduction and conscription by the rebel army.
At Koro Abili IDP camp where Hope Alive! works, all that remains of the once numerous huts are piles of bricks now sprouting cassava or maize. The only people still remaining in the “camp” are the elderly and the orphaned who have no place to go and no one to care for them.A return to traditional life is obviously good for the people. However, change always brings new challenges. Though the people are happy to once again be growing crops on their own land, many are finding that their initial crops are not fruitful enough to feed their families. Consequently, a fair number are
already suffering from hunger. Hope Alive! is also facing many new challenges as our students leave the camp and go back to the surrounding villages. In the camp, our students were all centrally located and easily tracked. Now, many have returned home to their various villages, all of which are scattered and often a fair distance from Koro Abili. Visiting and checking up on the children has become a challenging task as the Hope Alive! staff must walk or ride their bicycles long distances to seek out the students. We also have about 60 children who are 
part of child-headed households. These children have no adult guardians and cannot return home because of their inability to support themselves in the village. For now, those children will remain in the camp close to the Hope Alive! Feeding Center where they can be easily monitored.
already suffering from hunger. Hope Alive! is also facing many new challenges as our students leave the camp and go back to the surrounding villages. In the camp, our students were all centrally located and easily tracked. Now, many have returned home to their various villages, all of which are scattered and often a fair distance from Koro Abili. Visiting and checking up on the children has become a challenging task as the Hope Alive! staff must walk or ride their bicycles long distances to seek out the students. We also have about 60 children who are 
part of child-headed households. These children have no adult guardians and cannot return home because of their inability to support themselves in the village. For now, those children will remain in the camp close to the Hope Alive! Feeding Center where they can be easily monitored.
Additionally, you can see in the photo above that the Feeding Center was given a basketball hoop! It was fun to see the staff and students learning how to play. In the picture, our assistant site manager (who actually plays basketball) is teaching the other mentors how to shoot the ball. None of them have every played the game before. Even the children are really practing and learning the game. Some of them are becoming quite proficient with their dribbling skills... which is very impressive when they are dribbling on dirt and grass!
On a separate note, the Park Avenue Team arrived safely on Tuesday with all of their luggage. My life has been very busy since then, but it has been an excellent time so far! Praise the Lord! Another post about that in the future…
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