Taking the initiative in Uganda

Aid orientated towards the future | Children in Uganda - The Flotsam of War | Dutch journalist visits the SOS Emergency Relief Programme in Gulu | Home Sweet Home - until darkness falls | Taking the initiative in Uganda | Increased rebel activity in northern Uganda puts children at risk

Update from SOS Emergency Relief Programme in Gulu SOS care giver with one of her charges - Photo: H. Atkins The rebels came, as usual, at night. They rounded up the villagers and separated the children from their parents. Then they locked the adults into five huts and set them on fire. When they left the village they took the older children, to be used as forced labour, and left behind those too small to be of any use. Three of those children, all aged six, are now in the temporary SOS family house in Gulu, beginning a new life with a new mother. Maria's* mother was abducted by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) before she was born and 'married off? to an LRA soldier. Maria was born in the Sudan, in LRA captivity, but her parents, presumably worried about her survival, gave her to a child who was about to be released. When Maria arrived at the temporary family house two months ago, she had scabies and malnutrition. Her skin is now clear, and her stomach only slightly swollen. Her face, though, bears a mischievous grin contradicting the tragic circumstances of her first two years on earth. Children at the temporary family house with project co-ordinator John Komakech - Photo: H. Atkins A new government offensive brings hope The temporary family house in Gulu was established quickly and in answer to a need. The presence of 'rebels' in the north of Uganda for the last 17 years, has not only made it difficult to get access to the many orphaned and abandoned children living there, but has also been the cause of creating more of them. Last year, however, the government launched a new offensive, promising to eliminate the LRA, with the result that an influx of children with no one to care for them, is expected. Currently there are several reception centres for these children, such as that run by World Vision, which tries to place the children back with their families, or into the community; but there is little provision for those who have nowhere to go either because they have no known family or because the stigma of the LRA is such that they will not be accepted back. The dormitory block at the temporary village - Photo: H. Atkins SOS Children's Villages sets up temporary village and reception centre After assessing the situation, SOS Children's Villages established the temporary family house which currently accommodates 46 children between the ages of two and eight, and nine care givers. Meanwhile the local authorities donated four and a half acres of ground on long lease to be used to house a temporary village, a reception centre and a later on, a permanent village. It is expected that the children and care givers will move into the temporary village, which can accommodate 68 children, by the end of January. Meanwhile, the reception centre, (a tented village) which will house up to 150 children, will be invaluable, especially considering the focal point - the playground. This playground, probably the only one in Gulu, will also be open to the community and may be used as a gathering point for those searching for lost children. *name changed by the editor