ACT Photo Essay: Northern Uganda





									ACT Photo Essay Northern Uganda 01/05 Photos by Klaas Jaap Breetvelt, ICCO/ACT International In northern Uganda, a decades-long war casts a shadow over the lives of more than a million people For much of the last two decades, the people of northern Uganda have found themselves trapped in a cycle of conflict, as government forces and rebel armies have clashed. The conflict has claimed the lives of thousands, but has also left tens of thousands of people displaced. Estimates put the number of people displaced by the conflict at some 1.6 million, the majority of them women and children. Children in particular are extremely vulnerable in this region. Reports indicate that over the last 18 years - as long as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been fighting in the area - some 20,000 children have been abducted and forcefully enlisted in the rebel army force. Neglected, often forgotten, the people of the region have become increasingly exposed to disease. An increase in HIV infection rates, which is reported to be 12.5 percent, is cause for alarm. Cases of malaria in children under the age of five years have also skyrocketed. Maternal mortality rate is more than twice the national average (1,200 per 100,000 live births). Lutheran World Federation Uganda, a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, has put forward a proposal of response to the ongoing humanitarian situation through an appeal issued this week. LWF-Uganda/ACT will continue working in the same areas as in the past -- in Adjumani, Katakwi and Kitgum districts. The appeal will focus on assisting internally displaced persons with nutrition, water, hygiene/sanitation, protection, livestock, essential relief items for resettlement, shelter, and food security. The Church of Uganda, also a member of ACT International, will coordinate their programs in the Kitgim area with LWF Uganda/ACT. While the IDPs in Adjumani district (approximately 20,000 persons) have mostly blended into the local communities, finding shelter with family members and friends, a large number of displaced people have grouped themselves along the main Gulu-Adjumani highway for security reasons. Approximately 120,000 IDPs in Katakwi and another 150,000 IDPs in Kitgum districts, have taken refuge in hastily erected camps for the internally displaced. The standards of living in the IDP camps and the sub-counties that host IDPs in Adjumani, Katakwi and Kitgum districts are alarming, with little infrastructure to support education and health services, distressing numbers of cases of waterborne diseases, depletion of food stocks, lack of farming equipment and poor sanitation. Water points are not easily accessible and as a result of overuse, many of the bore holes no longer function. Women are particularly vulnerable to abuse - crowded conditions in the camps and having to walk long distances to collect water add to their vulnerability. By providing bore holes and water points, LWF Uganda/ACT hopes to make life a bit simpler for people, and in particular safeguard women from attack and abuse. Similarly, the increased competition for the limited available resources, result in resource depletion. This situation has been worsened by the poor crop yields of the two growing seasons in 2004. This overall situation has created an acute humanitarian crisis calling for immediate interventions in Northern Uganda including the three proposed project areas. Children in particular are at risk. Every night, tens of thousands of children "relocate" from their homes to nearby towns to seek shelter. The children have become known as the "night commuters". The needs of people in the districts of Adjumani, Katakwi and Kitgum continue to be great. Hopes for a peaceful settlement to the conflict were recently dashed when peace talks between the government and the LRA once again broke down. The biggest challenge to the humanitarian community is to not allow the humanitarian situation in Northern Uganda not to forgotten. Sinking bore holes, training people in the use, management and maintenance of water and sanitation services, hygiene education, assisting people in establishing rainwater harvesting systems and building latrines will go some way in helping people getting back onto their feet. Ox-cultivation is the mainstay of the Northern Ugandan farming communities. However, the farmers no longer have the oxen for plugging nor do they have the relevant tools like ox-ploughs, hand hoes, machetes and axes for working on their farms. The local people are proposing to divide themselves into groups of five households to benefit from a pair of oxen and one ox plough. This way they would be able to take it in turns to plough and produce their own food instead of relying on relief handouts. Six hundred (600) pairs of oxen each accompanied with an ox plough would be provided to sets of five of the most vulnerable households. An additional 1,400 ox ploughs will be provided to other vulnerable households amongst communities whose lives have been affected by the LRA, with the understanding that they will cooperatively, with their neighbors, find their own oxen. It is not uncommon for communities to have access to oxen. However, not many people have ploughs. Hand hoes and axes will be distributed to 20,000 of the most vulnerable households in the affected areas. Each household will also receive seeds and cuttings. In addition, goats will also be distributed amongst vulnerable families, giving them the opportunity to establish their own herds. For more information on the LWF-Uganda/ACT program, click on: ACT Appeal: Assistance to IDPs in Northern Uganda ACT Home Latest news Other Datelines Photos from Emergencies