ACT Photo Essay

Northern Uganda 03/05

Photos by Stephen H. Padre, ACT International

Life in camps for internally displaced people

What is life like for internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps? How do they live away from their normal homes? The photos below offer a glimpse into the life of IDPs who were residents of villages scattered across northern Uganda. Many of these residents became IDPs when they were forced from their homes by attacks on their villages by soldiers from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The IDPs in northern Uganda are only some of the world's millions of IDPs and refugees who face similar challenges in camps like these in Uganda.

Some camps spring up quickly with little or no planning or organization, while others take on more permanence and develop and grow over time. Because camps provide a place for IDPs to access the basics of life, including shelter, food, water and sanitation, it takes considerable work and effort to bring these things together in a place where they hadn't existed before. It is also worth noting how sometimes all the systems of a permanent settlement can develop in a camp. This development of camps occurs in organized ways, such as through humanitarian-aid agencies that provide assistance, and through the innovation and resilience of IDPs themselves, often struggling for survival and to meet their basic needs.

What remains of some of the homes that have been attacked by Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) soldiers is burned-out shells. Typically when LRA soldiers enter a village, they steal villagers’ belongings and set fire to all huts.

Some examples of the houses IDPs live in:

In this camp that has existed for a couple of years, IDPs have managed to build stronger homes with more solid sides and thatch roofs. Its residents may have even received some building materials from humanitarian-aid agencies to help construct their homes.

In this camp that sprung up more spontaneously, residents have had to construct their houses themselves with thatch that they gather in the area. Each house is the size of a small tent, and sometimes as many as seven family members sleep in the cramped quarters. One resident of this camp complains of water seeping through the tent when it rains.

These latrines have been built in one camp with some donated supplies from a humanitarian-aid agency. A resident of the camp is charged with cleaning and maintaining the latrines.

A “shower” – a simple structure that provides privacy for people to wash themselves. The entrance is covered with a blanket or cloth while someone is using the space.

ACT member Lutheran World Federation-Uganda (LWF) has drilled boreholes and installed water pumps in some areas where IDPs are concentrated. Easier access to water, a basic necessity of life, has made the daily chores of IDPs much simpler. After installing a pump, LWF hands over control of it to a committee made up of people from the villages that use the pump. The committee sets and collects usage fees for the maintenance and repair of the pump.

Food

In some camps, IDPs are able to grow some of their food on small plots. Among the items they grow are:

Cassava

The root is the part of the cassava plant that is eaten. Here the cassava tubers are being dried to later be ground or prepared in a variety of ways.

Cowpeas are another staple for Ugandans. These are also being dried on the ground in the sun before they are prepared for meals.

The greens of the cowpea plant can also be eaten along with other green, leafy vegetables that are grown in small plots. Tomatoes are also grown.

A woman prepares the cowpea greens for a meal for her family.

Maize is yet another staple for sub-Saharan Africans….

…that is ground to be eaten.

Women shell ground nuts to eat.

IDPs who live in camps that are near the water can sometimes supplement their diets with fish, such as this one that was caught in the Nile River, very close to an IDP camp in Ciforo sub-county.

A mother prepares bread by adding wheat flour to boiling water. She received the flour from ACT member Lutheran World Federation-Uganda in mid-June as part of its regular distribution of food to IDPs in a camp near Kasilo, her home village. But with her large family of seven children, her supply, meant to last for one month, was very low by early July.

The “kitchen” for an IDP shelter is often a wooden platform where dishes and utensils are kept. Many IDPs say they do not have enough kitchen utensils, such as pots for cooking several dishes at once.

Children learn from their parents how to prepare food.

A woman eating her lunch of cowpeas outside her house. Food is often in short supply in IDP camps and is consumed wisely.

A woman making home-made alcohol, which she can sell by the cup to make some extra income. Overdrinking, often from a lack of employment and constructive activities, is a problem among some IDPs.

Some IDPs make charcoal by chopping down trees around camps, which they can sell on the side of the road or in a nearby town for some extra income. The chopping down of trees for cooking or for making charcoal can sometimes lead to environmental degradation.

Even with few materials, people in camps can be inventive and make toys and other fun things for themselves. Here is a boy with a home-made stringed instrument.

For more information on the LWF-Uganda/ACT program, click on:
ACT Appeal: Assistance to IDPs in Northern Uganda

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