#6 – May 24th 2007

Babies…and ethnic conflict

On the 23^rd, we went to Sanyu Baby Home, right below the hospital, where forty-six abandoned or orphaned children live. Some of these children, who range in age from four days old to three years old, were left on the doorstep of police stations, found alone on the streets, or dropped off at the home. We just went for a quick tour; I will be going back there again to spend some quality time with the children. It is heartbreaking to see tiny babies all in ramshackle cribs, with only a few caretakers to tend to them all. The home is run solely off donations and therefore has to make do with some fairly sub-par materials; broken toys, worn-out shoes and clothes, the very basic food necessities, and extremely low-paid (and some volunteer) staff. Amazingly, the home has been around since 1929, and has been raising small children and sending them off into the world for over seventy years. When I eventually return to Ugandan, I will definitely be bringing baby clothes, shoes, and toys for these kids. After cooing with the infants in their cribs we first visited the ‘crawling’ group, then moved on to the ‘walking/talking’ group, where we spent most of our time. As soon as we opened the ‘walking/talking’ group door we were bombarded by stomping toddlers, eager to touch and say hello. There must have been at least 15-20 kids running around, with three women to care for them all. Can you even imagine? One woman with responsibility for six kids, having to play with them, feed them, change them, day in and day out, for years? It’s a 24-hour job. I can’t even fathom how they do it.

On the morning of the 24^th, we rushed to the gates of the Buganda king’s palace, which is a five-minute boda-boda ride from Mengo Hospital. Yes, I rode my first boda, side-saddle. Great day to wear a skirt, Nicole. To say that I was terrified and making small girly noises the entire time would be a tiny understatement. The African Heart Boys marched in a parade to celebrate the king’s birthday. They looked great in their uniforms, marching down the main street, playing their hearts out. Peter took some videos with his new video equipment, which looks so professional someone mistook him for a reporter for the BBC! I took a couple of pictures, which you can see at:

http://uvic.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042809&l=7d8f1&id=122501804

Also, check out Natalie and Peter’s webpage for the boy’s singing and performing videos at:

www.partnershipsforopportunities.org

After the parade we had some matoke (tastes like mushed up yellow yam with a little bit of banana mixed in, not too bad) with beans and chapatti (a staple food in Uganda) and pop, for 3500 Ugandan shillings (approx. $2.50 split between the three of us). Back at the house I was introduced to our new roommate who is a doctor interning (think Grey’s Anatomy) in the surgical unit here at Mengo Hospital. He just arrived yesterday, having done a nine month placement in an IDP (Internal Displacement Camp) in Lira. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the situation in Northern Ugandan, there has been up until just recently a civil war raging in the districts of Lira, Pader, Gulu and Kitgum, plus a few smaller areas. The history of the region, and the sources of the conflict are quite complex and I will continue to write more on the subject as time goes on. For now, I will say just that that the rebel group fighting in the north, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), led by a man named Joseph Kony, has signed a cease-fire and peace talks are currently under way. The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of Acholi people (the ethnic group of the north), who are living in these camps that are similar to what you would call refugee camps. The conditions in these camps are deplorable; people are constantly getting sick from the water and unsanitary conditions, there is barely enough food, an extreme shortage of living space, and little medical assistance, not to mention the fact that people have absolutely nothing to do, and often idle time gives way to violence and higher rates of pregnancy. When my roommate was up there he dealt most often with cholera and various intestinal diseases. Also common (warning: not for the faint-hearted) were victims of LRA attacks, people who had their lips or ears cut off, who were in desperate need of surgery. The situation in the north, although the fighting has stopped (albeit who knows for how long), is beyond anything that I can personally understand.

My original reasons for coming to Ugandan, there are several, include an interest in the northern conflict. As many of you know, I took courses on African history and politics, and recently did a research paper on ethnic conflict and Northern Uganda. I hoped to make contacts here in Kampala that would eventually lead me to the north, where I could see the situation for myself, compare what I have learned to what I witness with my own eyes. After having talked with my roommate for only an hour I had a list of people and NGOs (Non-governmental organizations, who are the only agencies providing monetary and material support in the north) to contact. I hope to email these contacts shortly and see if there is an opportunity to give my assistance. Peter and Natalie are also interested in going, so I believe we will venture up there in July. This is a very exciting turn-of-events, and I am looking forward to finding out more!

~Nicole