Visit to Acholi Slums February 11, 2010

Whoa!!! We have been non-stop since the moment we left our houses. After the very long journey we went straight to work. And the days have been jam packed. Each night I’ve attempted to write to you, but have not been able to get it together, and by the time we completed our day all I wanted to do was fall into bed.

Day 1, we went to the Acholi Slums. The Acholi tribe was terrorized by the Lords Resistance Army in Northern Uganda for more than 20 years. They are known for coming into villages, destroying everything, stealing the children and killing everyone else. Just imagine one of the most impoverished and under-developed places on earth and then add to that evil that rivals the injustice of the holocaust. The boys are turned into soldiers at around age 8 and force them to do horrific things such as murder their own family members using their own hands or worse yet teeth. The girls are kept to cook, clean and rape for years until they eventually die of HIV. Thousands of Acholi people left their villages and headed south to Kampala where we are staying to seek refuge. A relatively small piece of land was donated for them to settle in. They live in tiny one room shacks built practically on top of each other with no electricity or running water. There are no restrooms, no kitchens, no food, no medicines, no jobs. They do have a spicket of water on ther main street, but the water is not clean, and it needs to be carried a very long distance back to their homes where some have up to 19 people living in the one room. No furniture, no change of clothes, no possessions at all. These people literally left everything and ran for their lives. It has been this way for years now, and most will never get out. Life here is as bad as it can possible get. This is why we have come. Not to solve their problems, but perhaps in some small way to validate their existence.

Before our visit to the slums, two beautiful mothers have come to our hotel to share their stories and help prepare us for what we are about to walk into to. Through the translator we learn that their names are Carmella and Grace. They have obviously cleaned them selves up for our meeting and are truly happy to meet us. Carmella speaks first, her head high and a wide & gracious smile. She expresses her honor and gratitude for this moment, and says repeatedly in english “you are welcome” and I know she means that she is truly happy to have company with us.

She begins her story by saying that her village was raided by the LRA, and her youngest son was taken. Although the pain in clear in her face, she continues by saying that she also lost a daughter who was giving birth and did not survive. Somehow she was able to escape the ravaged place she has always called home and made it hours south to where she is now. She then says that one of her older sons became extremely sick, and they didn’t know what was wrong with him. His entire body was covered with lesions and she and her other two children helped care for him by dressings his wounds. It wasn’t until the other two children also bacme sick did they find out that he had HIV/Aids. I’m not sure how long the process was, but all three of them died of the disease without ever receiving the much-needed medication that we now know can and does save lives! I’m looking at this proud and strong woman in front of me, and it is difficult to tell her age, I would guess maybe the same as my own mother, yet this mother has already seen 5 of her own children die. At some point HIV testing and education started to make its way through these parts of Africa, and Carmella also tested positive. She continued the story by saying that she didn’t know how she contracted it because she had not had sexual partners, and she said they eventually found that she got it because of her close contact with the open sores while she tried to nurse her dying children. That of course may have been the way, but in my mind I know that it is also likely that she contracted it from her husband who is no longer around, and she did not mention him. Another option that I know has taken the lives of many women here is that they have been raped, or even sold themselves in a desperate attempt to feed their families. Luckily for Carmella, the ARV’s (HIV meds) are now being given out free of charge here by the funding of may programs including ours and she is strong and healthy, considering the reality of her daily lives. through her story, we find out she has 19 children she is taking care of. Some are nieces and nephews others are grandchildren. All of them live in a 1 room shack with nothing.

We board the bus to head into Acholi Slums, each of us assigned 2 families (chosen based on their most extreme circumstances) and we are going to personally bring them much needed food, soap, water purifying tablets and a small goodie bag of toys for the kids. When we arrive we are taken into a small brick building with dirt floors, and a series of wooden benches. There are 40 women awaiting us and after we all file in they begin to greet us with a beautiful song. They sing with shining eyes and faces, and we are told that the song itself says that even though times are tough, they keep holding hope that help will come. In response we sing Amazing Grace, as it is the 1st song that comes to mind that we probably all know. The room is warm, not in temperature, but in spirit. And all facings were shining with joy and gratitude. Theirs, as well as ours.

I was paired with my two women, one Jeanette and the other is Betty. For each of these family we have 3 large bundles of food. We load ourselves up and head out through the tiny corridors towards the 1st home. Around corner after corner, deeper and deeper into the maze of identical little cement buildings separated by small streams that I must assume by the smell are used as bathrooms (there is no where else they could possibly be going). Honestly, I should be afraid here. If someone were to hold me captive, it would takes weeks, if ever, to find me. But truly I feel no fear. I am here to help and I trust that they are grateful.

At each of the homes I find the same. Cement floors, no furniture, barely any belongings at all. One home as a mother and 4 children, the other a mother and 9 children. I present them with the small gifts and they humbly invite me into their homes. I have no doubt they have cleaned themselves, their families and their homes up for our visit. The children are beautiful & happy despite their sad reality. It is as if they dont know that kids in other circumstances have more. We spend the afternoon playing with them, the women hugging us many times and showing their gratitude with bright smiles. All in all it is a beautiful day. We fed a whole community of hungry people and through that service I was full.

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