Kitgum learning

Hello to everybody from a weary traveller just returned from the North.

This weekend I went to Kitgum, which is up in Northern Uganda, a war zone... it is about 60 miles from Sudan. ... Actually we climed a big hill and could see into Sudan. It was a beautiful and powerful sight to see beacuse I can only imagine the suffering that was happening under the illusion of the green grass and setting sun.

A quick update to you about Northern Uganda, for those who don't much. Even for those who do, this might be interesting to read, it was news to me too!
In Northern Uganda there has been fighting since the 80's. This fighting has led to the death of many through gun wounds, landmine victims, poverty, etc.. It is really really devestating. All that is happening is happening to the Acholi people. The Acholi people live in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. They hate Museveni (current President, current meaning the past 20years) because he is Buganda (the tribe where i am living) and doesn't care much for the nothern people. However, it is always like this. The Acholi love Idi Amin beacuse he was from the north... so on and so forth. It's all very tribal.

But this is how it all started. A very long time ago the Bugandan people and the Acholi people were at war. The Bugandans sent an evil spirit on the Acholi people. This spirit was captured on a hill. This spirit has caused many problems between the people in the years. Joseph Kony, the man leading the Lords Republic Army (LRA) through this war has been posesed by this evil spirit. Which is why he is so terrible to the Acholi people even though he is one. This spirit controls him and is the reason for his evil actions. So basically, it is not him, and hte people of the north believe that Kony is in fact a good person when not possesed. Recently a peace treaty has been signed and the people believe that this means end for real because Kony has been in Sudan and he has not had a chance to back to the hill for the spirit to rejuvinate (it must return every two years to the hill and has not for 3 years or so). According to a past child soldier I spoke with Kony would sometimes get very very afraid and would go into the woods and not talk to anyone. This is because the spirit would leave him and he would become afraid of what he was doing. He cannot just stop the spirit because if he does the spirit will threaten to kill you. Furthermore, the only way to get rid of the spirit is to use Witch Doctors. Lastly, terror is spread amongst his soldiers because apparently this spirit gives special powers to read peoples minds.

I went up with other volunteers and was shown around by the family of this woman Rose who runs a program called P-Tek for women in the north (check out grassrootsuganda.com). She is superb and it was wonderful to be fed and shown around by her family.

First we spoke with women in her group who make bracelets and necklaces as there only source of income.

The first woman was a landmine victim. She has lost her leg digging in the field. She was in her 40's and HIV positive, but had only one husband. She had 7 kids, all alive; an uncommon occurence. Her biggest challenge is working as a landmine survivor. She cannot do the same work she could do before and must get most support from her husband. Her children are older but the youngest is only 7, meaning that she gave birth after her accident and that she must care for very young children. After she was hit the only support she was given was from a local hospital (not NGO). Now she recieves food from the World Food Programme, but it is not enough to feed her family of 4 boys and 3 girls.

The second woman was HIV positive and had two of her 8 children (6 alive) abducted by the LRA. The first was six and while he was a child soldier he was forced to carry 25 kg of maize on his head. Okay, that's hard. Please try, i have, i almost died. Sure it's really common, but not for a 6 year old... His entire body began to swell and they asked him if he wanted a break. He siad yes. They chopped off his head right there and his brother was forced to carry it for about 10 kilometers to make an example. Again, he was 6. The other is now 16 and escaped when he was 13. He was a soldier for 7 years. He has horror stories of the people he killed. 15 directly, cold murder. Others with no count because when you enter a village you just shoot. He has now returned and is sponsored by a fellow volunteer named Lee. The mother is HIV positive and in her late 40's. Her husband died 3 years ago and her youngest is 1 years old. She got HIV from her husband who was unfaitful to her.

The third was this woman who was in her 40's and was also HIV positive. She was abducted herslef. The autrocities she experienced made me just cry and cry and after hearing so many other brutal stories not much of what she said is imprinted in my memory in order. I know that she also was one of many wives and that her husband was unfaituful. She gets no help from NGO's but has much help from the hospital and is receiving medical care. Her family is a rare case because they have all been tested and are all getting help. Most here don't test because if they do and are positive they believe they will die the next day. Her children are many but are all very young. With no husband and no income she is suffering imensly.

Amos was our guide. He has a hand problem. When he was a baby he fell in the fire and so his hands are crushed and burned up. This saved his life. When he was in primary school his school bus was coming back home when the LRA stoped them and came on board. They took every child on that bus. All, except Amos. They said he was useless as he could not carry or shoot a gun. He was whiped to "open his ears" as they told him what he must tell his village upon his return. This was his life being spared. All his friends were taken and he hears through returnees that now many have reached high positions. He is bright and finished secondary school but could not finish university as a med student because he was told he could do nothing as a doctor because of his hands. He is being sponsored however by a woman who opened an orphanage in Kitgum named Lois to get his hands fixed. So that is fantastic.

Amos took us to many places. One was an Internally Displaced Peoples camp. Here children walk through a landmine field to get to school everyday and woman dig there as there is no other work to be done. Many, many have died. I met two survivors, both missing one leg. The camp was partially burned down when some kids were playing with fire. All the huts are almost touching and with straw roofs you can imagine how fast they go up into flames. The camp is very poor and only recieves help from WFP. People die here everyday for many reasons. There is no hope. On the outside of the camp are a few other huts for the soldiers who protect them. The last time they had a problem was about 4 months ago from the rebels. The people here believe in the peace talks.

We also visited a school belonging to a woman named Theresa, or sister. She used to be a nun and was trained in working with children with disabilities. Here if you have a disability you are worth nothing. It is hard enough to find food and water and so it is difficult to give any of that to children who are crippled or have mental retardation. This woman is just inspirational and so so brave to do what she is doing. The Noregian Refugee Foundation built her a building, UNICEF gave her tents and WPF feeds her kids. Other then that she was getting donations from a young italian who has recently died. This means that she often feels the want to give up; and almost did just last week. I'm glad she didn't however, becuase her project needs to be known. She keeps 145 children on sight. 4 blind, many deaf, crippled, mentally handicapped, or abductees. She has 135 children offsight. She showed pictures. The kids who have Ceribro-paulsy (okay bad spelling) are just completely forgotten and starved to death. There was a picture of one under a bunch of WFP bags, once the wood of the shelf crushed she would be crushed also and would die. It was really fasinating and such a good project. But her, like many others, needs help as well.

Lastly, Kitgum was freaking NGO heaven for an NGO nerd like me. But I have to point out that I dind't see any in action, except moderately from Sisters house, and I did my best to talk to locals and ask as many questions as possible as this is a special interst of mine. The UN had some pristine white trucks and some beautiful headquarters. The WFP seems to do alot, but now they are out of funding, so it may stop. (although todays article says the UK is donating 1.2BillionUsh so that's good). UNICEF also had a few worn down tents here and there. Red Cross wins for most vehicles and seemed to be doing there best. But it's the Ugandan Red Cross, run and funded by Uganda. MSF or Doctors without Boraders and many trucks as well, although I saw the same on many times and the others were all parked. Their headquarters were less upscale but I don't know there direct contribution. World Vision had many institutions and I'm sure is doing good work. However, apparently the only kids who are sponsored are those who have the most brain potential and are not HIV positive. This means that the majority of kids I played with in the village will not be sponsored because they are positive. But, nobody wants to sponsor a kid who is going to die right? Lastly Oxfam had many signs all over the place and a glorious headquarters. Other then that, don't know what they were doing.

This is most but not all of my experience. Some is better left told in person. Plus I'm sure this is all very overwelming and I myself am swelling up with emotion again.

I was overwhelmed to see so much happening in Kitgum and just in disbelief of being in a war zone. The moment we reached Gulu to transfer busses to Kitgum it was obvious we were in a war zone. My books have become a reality... my education is coming to life. Only, when such things are tangible it becomes knowledge which hurts alot more to know.
Peace and Afuma Matek (Thank you, very much)