Kitgum

Wow. I don’t know where to start. We have had an amazing and extremely interesting weekend. We went to Kitgum, this place has suffered a great deal form the rebel war. We went with a local lady who wanted us to conduct some interviews with the children and their families for a sponsorship program that the organisation we are here with are running. It was so hot all weekend and we sat under a tree and interviewed about 10 – 15 different families about their lives and the way they live. This was to go on the website to try and gain sponsorship for the children so they can continue schooling.

The first person we interviewed was 19. He sat down with us and I was just not prepared for his story at all. He started to tell us (through a translator) how he lived at home with his mother and father and 3 younger siblings. When the war broke out rebels came into his home and killed his father with a machete right in front of them all. They abducted him and took him into the bush. He was taken for 2 years and trained to kill. He was then taken back to the local villages (where his mothers and sisters were still living) and was told/brainwashed into killing everyone there.

After 2 years, one day in the middle of an ambush he escaped. He ran miles to get back to his old village, when he got there it was deserted. Eventually he was picked up by World Vision (an NGO working in Kitgum) who housed him and rehabilitated him. His mother and sisters were thankfully found and they were reunited. Shortly after his mother became unwell and died. He was then left to support the family. They have been living in an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp and have been living on food supplied by the World Food Program. As he was abducted when he was 14 he did not finish school and has had no vocational training. This sponsorship program will hopefully help him pay the younger children’s school fees and allow him to do some vocational training so he can provide for his family.

He was not the only one with a story, each family had there own story to tell about the war and how it affected them. It was harrowing. They all live in hope that the peace agreement will work out and it will stay peaceful. It was amazing to see how positive these people are after everything that they have been through.

After the interviewing I sat with the mothers and they showed me how to make jewelry out of paper. It was fascinating and lots of fun. This is the way they make there living. They roll the paper into beads and thread them on string. They are absolutely gorgeous and of course I had to buy some to bring home!

We then went to visit a disabled children’s home where one of the volunteers are working. This was run by a nun. She was an inspiring woman who had set up the home on her own and with donations from local organizations. There were around 200 children living there. However we were there in the school holidays and there were only 10 students there. These were children whose parents and not turned up to pick them up. So they stayed there.

We spent a lot of time with 2 local guys who were family members of Rose (the lady we went with). They took us to one of the IDP camps. People were practically living on top of each other. Apparently there were quite often outbreaks of cholera, you can see how when one person goes down with it, they all do. There were so many NGO vans buzzing around and the guys were telling us, they are now working on sending people back to their villages. The only problem is, people have lived in the IDP camps for so long they have nothing to go back too. Plus they have been living off food from the World Food Program for so long they have not got there own means of buying food. It is such a difficult situation for everyone involved. It makes me think about Darfur and the whole crisis there and what the aftermath will be like for Sudan.

I could talk for ages about what we saw, but I won’t go on any longer. We came back yesterday and have not been able to think of much else.

There are 12 new volunteers coming on sat for the start of the school term. That will be interesting as James and I are used to it being pretty chilled in the guest house. It has been raining a lot today which is kind of nice, it means it’s been cooler and makes me think of home!

Amy xxx