Post by LD on Sept 9, 2005 13:03:21 GMT 10
THIS IS A VERY LONG POST BUT I'M SURE IF YOU READ IT YOU'LL AGREE IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL & INSPIRATIONAL...IT MADE ME CRY & MADE ME REALISE JUST HOW LUCKY WE ARE
Hi guys miss yas lots hope all is well in Oz. Im in Johannesburg at the moment just arrived but im coming home soon. Any way I thought I would give you guys some insight as to what Ive been seeing over here. These are my personal diary entries so i wouldnt forget. They are kinda long. Ill post one or two each day.
Take care of yourselves...
ps. The Africa gift was amazing and touched me as well as all the world vision staff. Everyone speaks so highly of all the forum members. You are all angels.
Guy
Journal Entry 1 : Day One
Date: 26th August
Day of trip: Day 1 - Entebee
Region of travel: Entebee
Distance traveled: London>Nairobe>Entebee
Meals: Plane food!
Notes: Travelled from the airport to the hotel, not terribly exciting, had camera crew in the car filming, I was with Simon Peter (SP) and Emily 2. They are very sweet, both work for World vision, SP as a journalist. Emily sings and was singing at a wedding the next day. She taught me how to sing a traditional African praise song. It was awesome and I picked it up pretty quick.
I can’t sleep its 5am and I’m filming for 12 hours tomrrow. I have to be up in 3 hours… not good. Im so jetlagged, I have been from Sydney>LA>San Francisco>Atlanta>London>Stockholm>London>Nairobe>Entebee. Im exhausted.
I had a quick drink with a couple of brothers (literally, not in the cool ghetto sense) in the crew, West and (I forget, im sure I’ll know tomorrow). They were really cool. It was not exactly the start I expected. In a poverty stricken nation, drinking at the sheraton lobby bar. The Sheraton was nice enough to donate the rooms to world vision but apparently tonight is the only night of comfort. I’m not really one for flash hotels, give me a floor and some crumpled up clothes as a pillow and its good enough for me.
Despite the fact it wasnt terribly poverty stricken within the guarded gates of this luxury hotel, there were hints inside these walls of what I was sure I would observe outside. I noticed it straight away in the lobby bar, Rich men, White and Black dancing suggestively with vulnerable African women. It seemed these women weren’t after a long-term relationship, but a quick one-night pocket dive.
I was very saddened as I observed many stunningly and beautifully made African women accompany they’re new found “friends” into the hotel lifts and come back out of the lifts half an hour later. As they walked past me I saw them exchange what was in their hands with a man at the bar. I guess it was my first taste of what lengths some people have to go to to “get by” here….
Night.
Journal Entry: Day Two
Date: 27th August
Day of trip: Day 2 – Saturday
Region of travel: Gulu – North Uganda
Distance traveled: 1 hour plane
Accommodations: Hotel Pearl Afrique
Meals:
Sandwich lunch + Goat curry w/rice at night
Notes: Oh my goodness what a day. We startted off early, I got up and had my english breakfast. I was stuffed from my lack of sleep from the night before. I got my first glimpse of Africa during the day. We went to a marketplace in central Entebee; It was crazy, people everywhere. I nearly got run over so many times.
It was clear to see the struggle on the streets. There were kids begging everywhere, People desperately trying to sell things and far too many boda boda’s (bike taxi’s) to accommodate those who needed a lift. We did some filming through the streets. SP educated me as to what was going on.
We drove to the “slums” and I was amazed at what I saw. There were people everywhere, crammed into a tiny space. Their houses were tiny mud brick/wooden houses not even enough space for one person by our standards, yet these huts were home to whole families, some consisting of more than 8 people.
We visited a family headed up by a man called Emmanuel, who made aluminium pots out of scrap metal. It was incredible to see the whole process from the collection of the materials (old engines, fences etc etc) from all kinds of sources, to the refining of the aluminium, the pouring of the molten metal into premade molds and finally making the pots presentable by filing/sanding. He made up to 100 pots a day depending on materials, sometimes he could only make 3 or 4 due to lack of scrap metal. Even though he spent all day in scorching heat over a furnace, he still could only afford to feed his family one meal a day, if he was lucky.
Despite these extreme conditions it was inspiring to see the dignity on their faces, these people are not victims, they are SURVIVORS, defying the odds merely just to live, and live with their heads held high…
I havent mentioned the whole background to the major issue here in Uganda and before I continue I think I should elaborate. I won’t go into intense political detail but here’s the basic history:
A man by the name of Joseph Kony formed a rebellion army many many years ago. He built his army by abducting young children and training them to be killers. Armed with guns these rebels would raid a village, kill people, set fire to their homes and abduct their children. They participated in horrific acts of murder and torture. If they didn’t kill you they would physically mutilate you, such as cut off your ears, lips and nose, limbs etc. When people saw these mutilated men and women in the streets it was a reminder of how brutal the rebels were. This evoked fear in every person.
These rebels are called the lord’s resistance army (LRA). They became so powerful simply through the manipulation of fear. Once they kidnapped the boys they would take them into the bush and beat them severly, sometimes to death. If they cried, they were killed. Most of the time they would make you kill or mutilate someone in your village, so that you would become an outcast and feel like you could never return. If you didn’t do it, they would kill your whole village, including you.
These boys were so fearful of dying because they saw murder before their eyes constantly. The chief commanders would order the new abductees to horrifically kill someone if for example they tried to escape, or if they were too weak to walk. If you did escape they would look for you and kill you, so you would be an example to the others.
The girls that were kidnapped were given to the chief commanders as sex slaves, some as young as 11. These women were raped and many fell pregnant to these men.
Some of these child soldiers have either escaped from the LRA or been rescued by the UPDF (uganda defence force). Many of these children are brought to places like the World Vision “children of war” programs where they are clothed, given food, care and many forms of therapy. The scars that they endure out in the bush are brought out into the open, they share their stories with each other and they start to heal.
When they first come to the world vision rehabilitation centre, they are very scared and confused because the LRA tell the kids that if they go to world vision they will harm them. They are told that they will be poisoned, tortured, or made to work as slaves etc. so the first process is to develop trust with the new abductees.
Understanding the situation with the LRA helps to explain why the Ugandan people are in such a predicament. Many people flee the rural areas where there is a high risk of LRA activity to live in displaced people camps. These camps are “protected” by the military (although from what I saw the military didn’t do much), however the conditions are extremely poor. A lack of food, water, health care, education etc.
Many children who live in villages without army protection are forced to walk for hours covering many miles so that they can sleep in the town, where it is safer due to military presence. The LRA generally don’t ambush areas where the military is. Some kids just sleep on the streets of the town. Most kids sleep in protected sites, just like one we visited called Noah’s Ark. Children flock from all parts of Gulu to seek the safety of these protected sites, where they watch a movie from a little projector, and then sleep on the floor in tents. They are given blankets but unfortunately there is not enough money for food.
The segment we filmed in the evening was an experience I will never forget for as long as I live. We went to visit a family consisting of 4 girls. Their mother died of AIDS and the rebels killed their father. The oldest was about 14 her name was Miriam, the second was about 11 or 12 and her name was Judith. They were so beautiful and strong; bringing up a young girl about 5 years old and their littlest sister, who was about 2. After hearing their story I was heartbroken, reminding myself how lucky I am to have had such a peaceful upbringing without war and to have both my parents look after me.
These girls shared their stories of how the LRA killed their father and how they now have to fend for themselves. We spoke to their Aunty who was expecting her sixth child and she told us how difficult it was to watch her small children leave every night for the safety of Noah’s Ark not knowing if the LRA will intercept their trip, and whether she will see them again.
We walked the children into town, or at least for about an hour so we could film. Once they weren’t thinking about their hardship and were just hangin out together as a group of village kids, their true colours came out. They were just kids, they started to stuff around, pay each other out and just do kid stuff!! It was so cool to see that. The way African children are depicted on TV is as very sad, starving kids who let flies nest on them and the dignity is taken away. But being with these kids proved to be the opposite. They were strong kids, who have been through more pain before they’re first birthday than most of us will ever go through in our whole lives.
I had learnt an African song the night before, one that is familiar to nearly every Ugandan, young and old. I started singing it and they all joined in. These kids were so confident, they needed no invitation to sing or dance. Seriously they were going off!! I was mucking around with them so much, they were teaching me Ugandan words and songs, I was telling them to spin, shout, stop, run, jump, make goat noises etc etc through a song we were singing. After they taught me all they’re African songs I taught them some English songs. The funniset one was “drop it like its hot”!!! It was amazing cause as they sung they danced and most of them had never seen a film clip in their lives but they were dancing with the same rhythm as what they do in the urban scene now.
Judith was incredible. Her english was remarkeable. She had so much personality and strength. We all got on the back of the world vision truck; I helped the little ones on. Then it was dark it was only me on the back of the truck with all the kids and we sang all the way into town. I taught them how to say “g’day mate” and “chuck another shrimp on the barby”. The singing was something I will never forget. For that hour it felt like they were all my kids and I was protecting them from the LRA, I will miss them a lot.
Wow, that was a lot of stuff. I guess that’s why I was so buggered at the end of day two.
Night.
Journal Entry: Day Three
Date: 28th August
Day of trip: Day Three
Region of travel: Gulu
Accommodations: Pearl Afrique
Meals:
Banana – B/F
Rice, beef stew – LUNCH
Rice, Chicken stew and potatos - DINNER
Notes: Today was another exhausting day. We started at about 9am and I just finished, its 10pm. We started by going back to the Children of war rehabiltation camp. We were greeted with a welcome song and dance. I got up and beat a drum with them and danced. I looked like a moron, on TV.
At the camp I learnt a whole lot of stuff including all the different types of therapy that the former abductees and people affected by the war do to help heal the scars. One of them was to draw their experiences. Many of the drawings predominantly had the colour red, and guns everywhere.
However, after a few weeks of therapy they would start to draw different pictures. They would turn from war and bloodshed, to houses, pigs, plantations etc, just everyday normal life away from the bush.
There were many stories in the rehabillitation centre that were both horrific and touching. The stories that were told to me sounded like horror stories. One young girl was forced to bite and eat two of her friends to death during her time in the LRA. They were held down and if she didn’t do it she would be tortured and killed herself. There was a woman who was with 4 of here friends. All 4 of her friends were horrifically killed, and she was spared only because she was visibly pregnant. They didn’t just leave her unharmed though, to give her village a message they brutally cut off her lips, here ears and her nose. When I met her, she had the baby that saved her life sitting in her lap. She was so brave and beautiful. When she came into the centre, she met the boy who misfigured her, face to face.
There are countless amounts of stories, the young boys had tales of war that would outdo Vietnam veterens. I talked to Andrew who was only about 13, He was abduted when he was 10 or 11. He was forced to do some horrible things and was in several battles with the UPDF. He managed to escape death on several occasions. He finally got away from the LRA during one UPDF ambush. He later turned himself in and they brought him to the rehabilitation centre.
Another boy had his lips cut off and met the guy who did it when he arrived at the centre. They eventually came together and the boy said an official “sorry” to the boy that he disfigured. The stories just continued on all day, It took a lot of processing, to even try to comprehend what they had been through.
Later I ate lunch with all the kids, it tasted pretty horrible but that taste wasn’t a luxury that they put much emphasis on. We saw a church service and it was awesome to see these battered people escape reality for a minute and touch heaven. Their spirits were so free and it was obvious in the way they sung and danced. The instruments were very traditional and primal yet the sound, rhythm and energy they produced accompanied with the many voices was something I’ve never witnessed before. That’s how church is meant to be they seriously went off. It was there that I realised it is just in their bones, even the tiny little ones looked so cool when they danced!
After the service we were lucky enough to witness the rescue of a young man, 21, who was just taken in by the UPDF. He was an ex LRA soldier and they just brought him to the centre. The bell rung and they began the welcome ritual of singing and dancing, praying for the boy and then burning his old clothes/belongings, to symbolise the end of his old life and the begigining of his new hope. I had a lot of mixed feelings when I looked at him. He was a little older than the other children and he wasn’t frail but in good physical shape. This led to the conclusion that he was a chief commander in the LRA. You could see in his eyes that he had done some messed up stuff. Almost like the welcome he received was not something he deserved and he hated hearing it. I hope World Vision can help him rebuild his mind.
After that we went back to Noah’s Ark where I got to see Judith, her sisters and the rest of the children. We all gathered around in the tent where they were sleeping on the concrete floor with just a thin blanket. I sang them a few songs including “Jesus Loves Me” “and Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” It was beautiful even though I felt like Freuline Maria.
That was it for the day we went back to the hotel, ate and slept.
Night
Journal Entry: Day four
Date: 29th August
Day of trip: Day Four
Region of travel: Gulu – IDP camps then back to Kampala
Meals: Breakfast – banana
Notes: We started the day by driving out to on of the IDP camps (internally displaced people). Of course we wer greeted by song and dance (any oportunity). The dudes playing the music were incredible. There were the normal drums and then there were dudes playing thumb pianos. It sounded amazing, there was one guy who had a big thumb piano and he leaned it up against a bit pot and he was the bass guy. The guy who was leading the singing had the most incredible voice it cut through everything. You should’ve seen him dance he was unbelievable. He would have impressed Usher.
We observed the conditions that they lived in and it was horrible, this wasn’t a village it literally was a massive camp of over 20,000 people. They were all displaced from their homes in the rural areas because of LRA activity and came to stay in these IDP’s because there was military protection at these sites.
At the end we played volleyball with some of the locals.
We visited some similar sites and then caught a plane back to Gulu. By the time we got back it was nighttime, I ate a club sandwich and went to bed.
Hi guys miss yas lots hope all is well in Oz. Im in Johannesburg at the moment just arrived but im coming home soon. Any way I thought I would give you guys some insight as to what Ive been seeing over here. These are my personal diary entries so i wouldnt forget. They are kinda long. Ill post one or two each day.
Take care of yourselves...
ps. The Africa gift was amazing and touched me as well as all the world vision staff. Everyone speaks so highly of all the forum members. You are all angels.
Guy
Journal Entry 1 : Day One
Date: 26th August
Day of trip: Day 1 - Entebee
Region of travel: Entebee
Distance traveled: London>Nairobe>Entebee
Meals: Plane food!
Notes: Travelled from the airport to the hotel, not terribly exciting, had camera crew in the car filming, I was with Simon Peter (SP) and Emily 2. They are very sweet, both work for World vision, SP as a journalist. Emily sings and was singing at a wedding the next day. She taught me how to sing a traditional African praise song. It was awesome and I picked it up pretty quick.
I can’t sleep its 5am and I’m filming for 12 hours tomrrow. I have to be up in 3 hours… not good. Im so jetlagged, I have been from Sydney>LA>San Francisco>Atlanta>London>Stockholm>London>Nairobe>Entebee. Im exhausted.
I had a quick drink with a couple of brothers (literally, not in the cool ghetto sense) in the crew, West and (I forget, im sure I’ll know tomorrow). They were really cool. It was not exactly the start I expected. In a poverty stricken nation, drinking at the sheraton lobby bar. The Sheraton was nice enough to donate the rooms to world vision but apparently tonight is the only night of comfort. I’m not really one for flash hotels, give me a floor and some crumpled up clothes as a pillow and its good enough for me.
Despite the fact it wasnt terribly poverty stricken within the guarded gates of this luxury hotel, there were hints inside these walls of what I was sure I would observe outside. I noticed it straight away in the lobby bar, Rich men, White and Black dancing suggestively with vulnerable African women. It seemed these women weren’t after a long-term relationship, but a quick one-night pocket dive.
I was very saddened as I observed many stunningly and beautifully made African women accompany they’re new found “friends” into the hotel lifts and come back out of the lifts half an hour later. As they walked past me I saw them exchange what was in their hands with a man at the bar. I guess it was my first taste of what lengths some people have to go to to “get by” here….
Night.
Journal Entry: Day Two
Date: 27th August
Day of trip: Day 2 – Saturday
Region of travel: Gulu – North Uganda
Distance traveled: 1 hour plane
Accommodations: Hotel Pearl Afrique
Meals:
Sandwich lunch + Goat curry w/rice at night
Notes: Oh my goodness what a day. We startted off early, I got up and had my english breakfast. I was stuffed from my lack of sleep from the night before. I got my first glimpse of Africa during the day. We went to a marketplace in central Entebee; It was crazy, people everywhere. I nearly got run over so many times.
It was clear to see the struggle on the streets. There were kids begging everywhere, People desperately trying to sell things and far too many boda boda’s (bike taxi’s) to accommodate those who needed a lift. We did some filming through the streets. SP educated me as to what was going on.
We drove to the “slums” and I was amazed at what I saw. There were people everywhere, crammed into a tiny space. Their houses were tiny mud brick/wooden houses not even enough space for one person by our standards, yet these huts were home to whole families, some consisting of more than 8 people.
We visited a family headed up by a man called Emmanuel, who made aluminium pots out of scrap metal. It was incredible to see the whole process from the collection of the materials (old engines, fences etc etc) from all kinds of sources, to the refining of the aluminium, the pouring of the molten metal into premade molds and finally making the pots presentable by filing/sanding. He made up to 100 pots a day depending on materials, sometimes he could only make 3 or 4 due to lack of scrap metal. Even though he spent all day in scorching heat over a furnace, he still could only afford to feed his family one meal a day, if he was lucky.
Despite these extreme conditions it was inspiring to see the dignity on their faces, these people are not victims, they are SURVIVORS, defying the odds merely just to live, and live with their heads held high…
I havent mentioned the whole background to the major issue here in Uganda and before I continue I think I should elaborate. I won’t go into intense political detail but here’s the basic history:
A man by the name of Joseph Kony formed a rebellion army many many years ago. He built his army by abducting young children and training them to be killers. Armed with guns these rebels would raid a village, kill people, set fire to their homes and abduct their children. They participated in horrific acts of murder and torture. If they didn’t kill you they would physically mutilate you, such as cut off your ears, lips and nose, limbs etc. When people saw these mutilated men and women in the streets it was a reminder of how brutal the rebels were. This evoked fear in every person.
These rebels are called the lord’s resistance army (LRA). They became so powerful simply through the manipulation of fear. Once they kidnapped the boys they would take them into the bush and beat them severly, sometimes to death. If they cried, they were killed. Most of the time they would make you kill or mutilate someone in your village, so that you would become an outcast and feel like you could never return. If you didn’t do it, they would kill your whole village, including you.
These boys were so fearful of dying because they saw murder before their eyes constantly. The chief commanders would order the new abductees to horrifically kill someone if for example they tried to escape, or if they were too weak to walk. If you did escape they would look for you and kill you, so you would be an example to the others.
The girls that were kidnapped were given to the chief commanders as sex slaves, some as young as 11. These women were raped and many fell pregnant to these men.
Some of these child soldiers have either escaped from the LRA or been rescued by the UPDF (uganda defence force). Many of these children are brought to places like the World Vision “children of war” programs where they are clothed, given food, care and many forms of therapy. The scars that they endure out in the bush are brought out into the open, they share their stories with each other and they start to heal.
When they first come to the world vision rehabilitation centre, they are very scared and confused because the LRA tell the kids that if they go to world vision they will harm them. They are told that they will be poisoned, tortured, or made to work as slaves etc. so the first process is to develop trust with the new abductees.
Understanding the situation with the LRA helps to explain why the Ugandan people are in such a predicament. Many people flee the rural areas where there is a high risk of LRA activity to live in displaced people camps. These camps are “protected” by the military (although from what I saw the military didn’t do much), however the conditions are extremely poor. A lack of food, water, health care, education etc.
Many children who live in villages without army protection are forced to walk for hours covering many miles so that they can sleep in the town, where it is safer due to military presence. The LRA generally don’t ambush areas where the military is. Some kids just sleep on the streets of the town. Most kids sleep in protected sites, just like one we visited called Noah’s Ark. Children flock from all parts of Gulu to seek the safety of these protected sites, where they watch a movie from a little projector, and then sleep on the floor in tents. They are given blankets but unfortunately there is not enough money for food.
The segment we filmed in the evening was an experience I will never forget for as long as I live. We went to visit a family consisting of 4 girls. Their mother died of AIDS and the rebels killed their father. The oldest was about 14 her name was Miriam, the second was about 11 or 12 and her name was Judith. They were so beautiful and strong; bringing up a young girl about 5 years old and their littlest sister, who was about 2. After hearing their story I was heartbroken, reminding myself how lucky I am to have had such a peaceful upbringing without war and to have both my parents look after me.
These girls shared their stories of how the LRA killed their father and how they now have to fend for themselves. We spoke to their Aunty who was expecting her sixth child and she told us how difficult it was to watch her small children leave every night for the safety of Noah’s Ark not knowing if the LRA will intercept their trip, and whether she will see them again.
We walked the children into town, or at least for about an hour so we could film. Once they weren’t thinking about their hardship and were just hangin out together as a group of village kids, their true colours came out. They were just kids, they started to stuff around, pay each other out and just do kid stuff!! It was so cool to see that. The way African children are depicted on TV is as very sad, starving kids who let flies nest on them and the dignity is taken away. But being with these kids proved to be the opposite. They were strong kids, who have been through more pain before they’re first birthday than most of us will ever go through in our whole lives.
I had learnt an African song the night before, one that is familiar to nearly every Ugandan, young and old. I started singing it and they all joined in. These kids were so confident, they needed no invitation to sing or dance. Seriously they were going off!! I was mucking around with them so much, they were teaching me Ugandan words and songs, I was telling them to spin, shout, stop, run, jump, make goat noises etc etc through a song we were singing. After they taught me all they’re African songs I taught them some English songs. The funniset one was “drop it like its hot”!!! It was amazing cause as they sung they danced and most of them had never seen a film clip in their lives but they were dancing with the same rhythm as what they do in the urban scene now.
Judith was incredible. Her english was remarkeable. She had so much personality and strength. We all got on the back of the world vision truck; I helped the little ones on. Then it was dark it was only me on the back of the truck with all the kids and we sang all the way into town. I taught them how to say “g’day mate” and “chuck another shrimp on the barby”. The singing was something I will never forget. For that hour it felt like they were all my kids and I was protecting them from the LRA, I will miss them a lot.
Wow, that was a lot of stuff. I guess that’s why I was so buggered at the end of day two.
Night.
Journal Entry: Day Three
Date: 28th August
Day of trip: Day Three
Region of travel: Gulu
Accommodations: Pearl Afrique
Meals:
Banana – B/F
Rice, beef stew – LUNCH
Rice, Chicken stew and potatos - DINNER
Notes: Today was another exhausting day. We started at about 9am and I just finished, its 10pm. We started by going back to the Children of war rehabiltation camp. We were greeted with a welcome song and dance. I got up and beat a drum with them and danced. I looked like a moron, on TV.
At the camp I learnt a whole lot of stuff including all the different types of therapy that the former abductees and people affected by the war do to help heal the scars. One of them was to draw their experiences. Many of the drawings predominantly had the colour red, and guns everywhere.
However, after a few weeks of therapy they would start to draw different pictures. They would turn from war and bloodshed, to houses, pigs, plantations etc, just everyday normal life away from the bush.
There were many stories in the rehabillitation centre that were both horrific and touching. The stories that were told to me sounded like horror stories. One young girl was forced to bite and eat two of her friends to death during her time in the LRA. They were held down and if she didn’t do it she would be tortured and killed herself. There was a woman who was with 4 of here friends. All 4 of her friends were horrifically killed, and she was spared only because she was visibly pregnant. They didn’t just leave her unharmed though, to give her village a message they brutally cut off her lips, here ears and her nose. When I met her, she had the baby that saved her life sitting in her lap. She was so brave and beautiful. When she came into the centre, she met the boy who misfigured her, face to face.
There are countless amounts of stories, the young boys had tales of war that would outdo Vietnam veterens. I talked to Andrew who was only about 13, He was abduted when he was 10 or 11. He was forced to do some horrible things and was in several battles with the UPDF. He managed to escape death on several occasions. He finally got away from the LRA during one UPDF ambush. He later turned himself in and they brought him to the rehabilitation centre.
Another boy had his lips cut off and met the guy who did it when he arrived at the centre. They eventually came together and the boy said an official “sorry” to the boy that he disfigured. The stories just continued on all day, It took a lot of processing, to even try to comprehend what they had been through.
Later I ate lunch with all the kids, it tasted pretty horrible but that taste wasn’t a luxury that they put much emphasis on. We saw a church service and it was awesome to see these battered people escape reality for a minute and touch heaven. Their spirits were so free and it was obvious in the way they sung and danced. The instruments were very traditional and primal yet the sound, rhythm and energy they produced accompanied with the many voices was something I’ve never witnessed before. That’s how church is meant to be they seriously went off. It was there that I realised it is just in their bones, even the tiny little ones looked so cool when they danced!
After the service we were lucky enough to witness the rescue of a young man, 21, who was just taken in by the UPDF. He was an ex LRA soldier and they just brought him to the centre. The bell rung and they began the welcome ritual of singing and dancing, praying for the boy and then burning his old clothes/belongings, to symbolise the end of his old life and the begigining of his new hope. I had a lot of mixed feelings when I looked at him. He was a little older than the other children and he wasn’t frail but in good physical shape. This led to the conclusion that he was a chief commander in the LRA. You could see in his eyes that he had done some messed up stuff. Almost like the welcome he received was not something he deserved and he hated hearing it. I hope World Vision can help him rebuild his mind.
After that we went back to Noah’s Ark where I got to see Judith, her sisters and the rest of the children. We all gathered around in the tent where they were sleeping on the concrete floor with just a thin blanket. I sang them a few songs including “Jesus Loves Me” “and Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” It was beautiful even though I felt like Freuline Maria.
That was it for the day we went back to the hotel, ate and slept.
Night
Journal Entry: Day four
Date: 29th August
Day of trip: Day Four
Region of travel: Gulu – IDP camps then back to Kampala
Meals: Breakfast – banana
Notes: We started the day by driving out to on of the IDP camps (internally displaced people). Of course we wer greeted by song and dance (any oportunity). The dudes playing the music were incredible. There were the normal drums and then there were dudes playing thumb pianos. It sounded amazing, there was one guy who had a big thumb piano and he leaned it up against a bit pot and he was the bass guy. The guy who was leading the singing had the most incredible voice it cut through everything. You should’ve seen him dance he was unbelievable. He would have impressed Usher.
We observed the conditions that they lived in and it was horrible, this wasn’t a village it literally was a massive camp of over 20,000 people. They were all displaced from their homes in the rural areas because of LRA activity and came to stay in these IDP’s because there was military protection at these sites.
At the end we played volleyball with some of the locals.
We visited some similar sites and then caught a plane back to Gulu. By the time we got back it was nighttime, I ate a club sandwich and went to bed.
