I was in Pader last week, one of the districts in Northern Uganda most terrorized by the Lords Resistance Army.  I could sense a growing calmness among the people. The prospect of peace that is now emerging is giving hope to the people that they might soon be able to return home and start their lives afresh.

Northern Uganda has experienced relative calm in recent weeks. According to an evaluation by the United Nations, the LRA activities have remained at an all time low since June. There have been few abductions of children by the LRA, and while there have been several sightings of LRA rebels, no hostilities and killings have been reported. The main activity of the LRA is self preservation and survival strategies, like stealing crops.  

As the security situation has improved, so has the freedom of movement of the thousands of people living in the Internally Displaced Peoples camps. Some people are moving from larger camps in Kitgum, Gulu, and Pader to smaller, satellite camps. While ongoing fear prevents them from going directly to their villages, people have moved to these smaller camps in the hopes of cultivating nearby fields.

In Pader, restrictions on movement have been relaxed. People in the IDP camps can now move beyond security perimeters, which normally extend between one and three km from the camp.  We were free to drive the two hour trip from Kitgum to Pader without a military escort, although I did notice many UPDF soldiers stationed all along the way.
 
If a comprehensive peace agreement is reached in Juba, there is no doubt that we will witness a large movement of people from the IDP camps back to their village land.   But, return alone is not sufficient. There is a lengthy period of rehabilitation that will be required.  We cannot abandon the people of Northern Uganda as the peace arrives. Instead, the church must support them in every way we can to bring healing and restoration to their lives.

 

The people of Northern Uganda have been exposed to extreme levels of violence throughout the 18-year LRA conflict, with reports of torture, abduction of children, and killings commonplace. More than 1.8 million Acholi people (90% of the population) have fled their villages and are living in overcrowded IDP camps.  Conditions in the camps are deplorable; children are being denied their basic needs for food, health care and sanitation.  The fertile land of Northern Uganda once provided abundant food and peaceful refuge for its inhabitants.  Now, most people are completely dependent on outside assistance for water, sanitation services, and food.
 

While I was in Pader, a convoy of huge trucks laden with bags of grain rolled into town.  It was the UN’s World Food Program.  A small army of volunteers distributed the grain, oil and other food essentials to thousands of people who patiently waited for their share.  WFP  brought a one-month’s supply for each family. For some of the older and weaker ones, the food arrived too late -- the trucks were two months overdue.

A mental health survey recently taken by an NGO in Pader Town Centre revealed that almost all respondents have been exposed to severe traumatic events since 2002: 63% report the disappearance or abduction of family member, 58% report the death of a family member due to the rebel conflict, 79% have witnessed torture, and 40% have witnessed a killing. 5% of the population have been forced to physically harm somebody.  The survey also revealed that 62% of women interviewed think about committing suicide.

WHAT IS THE RESPONSE OF THE CHURCH?

We have a Biblical responsibility to care for the widows and orphans in their distress -- There is no greater distress than what we are witnessing in Northern Uganda.  Three generations of Acholi people have been traumatized by the conflict. The child-mothers emerging from the bush bring evidence of the horror they have endured. The people of Northern Uganda feel they have lost their culture, their families and all hope for the future. THE CHURCH must bring to the people of Northern Uganda a message of hope, healing and reconciliation. THE CHURCH must help them rebuild their lives.

We must not stand by and be a silent witness to this tragedy.

 

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150 students at Padire primary school in Kitgum receive uniforms donated by Uganda Mission supporters We pray that uniforms will be provided to students of the new secondary school in Pader

Praise Reports Through a generous donation from one of our supporting churches in Virginia, we are beginning the construction of a secondary day school in Pader. The purpose of my trip there last week was to visit the site of the new school, which is on land donated by the Church of Uganda.   The headmistress of YY Okot girls' school in Kitgum, Gladys Aber, is on the board of the new school. She is a dynamic leader in education and has been a valuable resource for Jennifer in planning, design and staffing issues. It will be the first secondary day school in Pader. The only children who currently attend secondary school in Pader are those who can afford the fees for boarding school.  For the rest, the 10km walk to the nearest school is just too much.  It is an extraordinary dream come true for the children of this impoverished and traumatized community to have their own school. †