It
has been just over a week since I returned to Luweero and already it seems like
a distant memory. It wasn't the physical exertions that I found exhausting, it
was the constant pleas for help. Everywhere I went people approached me as the
answer to their prayers even though I wasn't there representing any donor
agency.
The week began with the flight to Moyo, a town in the North of Uganda. It was
on a small ten seater airplane. There was a button on the ceiling labeled, 'Please
push to call the flight attendant' which I thought very amusing as it wasn't
physically possible for any one on the plane to be more than 10 feet away from
anyone else.
I traveled for the week with some of the members (see photo on the right) of the Kajo Keji Ecumenical Training Project (KaETP). Below is a quote from some of KaETP's literature describing what it does: -
KaETP, under the Anglican diocese of Kajokeji, has trained 44 Community Development Promoters (15 women and 29 men) selected from different churches in the Sudanese Refugee settlements in Ajumani Districts and Kajokeji County, New Sudan in between 1998 and 2000.
The Promoters were trained for one month on various development topics focusing on holistic development and self-reliance.
23 Self -Help Projects have been formed and are operational in various development activities including: -
Agriculture Food Production, Horticulture, Catering, Brick Making, Honey Bee Keeping, Grinding Mill Management, animal Husbandry, Poultry, Marketing of agricultural products to mention but a few.
The individual projects have raised US$8,885 through contributions and sale of their products.
The main problem is lack of finance to continue the work. KaETP took me to see many of their projects so that I could see for myself the work that is going on. The main purpose of my trip was to make a video for the Sunday Schools in Ireland about the difficult conditions of the refugees though I was very glad to be able to see some examples of activities that are attempting to combat those conditions.
In
the end I only spent a day in New Sudan though I spent the rest of the time with
Sudanese refugees. The highlight of my trip was the visit to New Sudan. The area
that I visited (Kajokeji) is rebel controlled. Along the roadside were vehicles
that had been destroyed by land-mines (see photo on left). The whole area was
very overgrown and the walls of the buildings that were still standing were
covered with bullet holes and graffiti.
Inside rebel- controlled Sudan, some people are returned and are trying to get their lives back together. Others are not ready to return just yet remembering how they returned in the early seventies after an agreement was etched out, but had to leave again a year later.
So
where are all the people? Many have been killed through atrocities carried
out by the Islamic North or through starvation. Others are in resettlement camps
in rebel controlled Sudan such as the family shown at Limi Displacement camp in
the photograph on the right. Conditions in these camps are stark. UNHCR (United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is helping though the need far exceeds
the ability to meet it.
Others are in refugee camps in Uganda and Egypt. Neither of these countries are in a position to give out huge amounts of aid. Many of the refugees that I met showed great initiative and are trying to help themselves. Money is a problem though.
I
visited two orphanages in the week, for children who have lost their parents in
the conflict. One is inside Sudan and in a terrible state. The other is in
Uganda and receives some support from outside countries. The one in Uganda was
started by the KaETP team after a child was found alone, eating faeces in the
corner of a refugee camp. Other horror stories include that of the child who had
to have his arm amputated after he was bitten by a snake while foraging for rats
to eat. There are other stories that are not fit to print.
My impression of the week was one of overwhelming need. We are working on a web site for the project and I will let you know when it is ready if you would like to contribute. I have about 15 project proposals from various groups, all are genuine and need help desperately.
Video Clips
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Some of the orphans at the Childrens Care Committee orphanage in Southern Sudan. They see themselves for the first time on the viewscreen of my camcorder. Click on the picture to watch the video clip |
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Some of the orphans at the Childrens Care Committee orphanage in Southern Sudan singing a local song. Click on the picture to watch the video clip |