We just got back from Gulu and Murchison Falls. Gulu was really heavy.
We went to visit one of the IDP camps and it was really a challenging site to see. Uganda has the longest running civil war in Africa, and Gulu is where many people who flee their villages end up going. They flee from Joseph Kony and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has been trying to topple the Ugandan government. They have abducted children from all over Northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and Sudan. The LRA turns these children into militants and sex slaves.
One lady we spoke to in the camps has been there since 1999. She said the LRA has even raided the camps and they abducted her son when he was around 12 years old, and she has not seen him since. She said that the worst raid by the rebels claimed about 24 lives in her camp.
The lady we spoke with said that there hadn't been a raid on the camp in about 2 years but with peace talks breaking down, she feared that rebel activity may start again. She will not leave the camps since there is some military presence there which provides a sense of security for them
The Ugandan government has stopped sending the camps food since the ceasefire. The only source of food has been through the United Nations World Food Program.
We then visited the Child Mothers Ministry, which consists of women who were former abductees and who became pregnant by the rebels. They welcomed us and put on a traditional song and dance routine.
We then asked if there was anything we could pray about for them and what kind of help they needed. The striking thing about these women was that when asked they desired education, even over food.
I have never seen poverty on a scale like this. The kids were dirty and I am sure many were sick and malnourished. They were in ragged clothes or in some cases, had no clothes at all.
Even in this situation, the kids still smiled when they saw us, still ran around with heir friends, and still acted like kids. In the picture above, I took their picture (left). Then, I squatted down to take their picture again and see the picture on the right.
We went to visit one of the IDP camps and it was really a challenging site to see. Uganda has the longest running civil war in Africa, and Gulu is where many people who flee their villages end up going. They flee from Joseph Kony and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has been trying to topple the Ugandan government. They have abducted children from all over Northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and Sudan. The LRA turns these children into militants and sex slaves.
One lady we spoke to in the camps has been there since 1999. She said the LRA has even raided the camps and they abducted her son when he was around 12 years old, and she has not seen him since. She said that the worst raid by the rebels claimed about 24 lives in her camp.
The lady we spoke with said that there hadn't been a raid on the camp in about 2 years but with peace talks breaking down, she feared that rebel activity may start again. She will not leave the camps since there is some military presence there which provides a sense of security for them
The Ugandan government has stopped sending the camps food since the ceasefire. The only source of food has been through the United Nations World Food Program.
We then visited the Child Mothers Ministry, which consists of women who were former abductees and who became pregnant by the rebels. They welcomed us and put on a traditional song and dance routine.
We then asked if there was anything we could pray about for them and what kind of help they needed. The striking thing about these women was that when asked they desired education, even over food.
I have never seen poverty on a scale like this. The kids were dirty and I am sure many were sick and malnourished. They were in ragged clothes or in some cases, had no clothes at all.
Even in this situation, the kids still smiled when they saw us, still ran around with heir friends, and still acted like kids. In the picture above, I took their picture (left). Then, I squatted down to take their picture again and see the picture on the right.
1 comment:
Wow, I didn't know you would be visiting people directly affected by the LRA.
I've seen a partial documentary about the LRA and a Unicef program helping those who were fortunate to get away after being abducted. Truly heartbreaking.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences when you get home. Safe travels!
-dawn
p.s The pictures of the kids (standing then kneeling) are precious!
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