Thursday, January 26, 2012
Child Soldiers in Uganda
It is now over one year since peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance began in Sudan. A year later little has changed and people are still suffering, especially women and children.
The endless war in northern Uganda has affected mostly women and children. Many women have become widows as a result of the rebels killing their husbands. Consequently, they are overloaded with the heavy responsibility of looking after orphans.
And women do not have time to rest. They wake up early in the morning to find ways of feeding their children, with whom they have to move long distances in search of food. At the end of the day, they come back very tired, and so stressed and frustrated that they cannot sleep at night.
The majority of women are suffering due to the loss of their husbands and relatives. They look for money to take their children to school yet they have no proper source of income, nobody to give them a hand, because almost everybody finds herself in the same situation.
Children in the aftermath of war
The SOS Social Centre in Gulu supports over 250 children and mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former child soldiers also receive counseling.
Education, health care and employment are human rights. Due to poverty, illness and the political unrest in the area, the number of children without the support of their natural family is increasing steadily and SOS Children is constantly developing its approach to child care in order to meet these changing needs.The aim of our “Family Strengthening Programmes” and SOS Social Centres is to respond realistically and effectively to the situation of orphans, vulnerable children and their families and to prevent child abandonment. Through skills training, literacy classes, education, counseling and improved nutrition the families know they can become independent, self-reliant and confident in their own ability to provide for the children in their care. Ultimately the communities want to care for their children.
The Social Centre opened in June 2002 and currently provides all the services mentioned above to 250 children and female guardians/mothers. The parents/guardians are also supported with training in agriculture and tailoring, for example, and those who want to set up small businesses are offered business training and micro loans; they will ultimately be more able to financially and emotionally support the children in their care and this lessens the risk of child abandonment. We also run a day-care centre for 50 children from single-parent families here, and the SOS Medical Centre, which is part of the SOS Social Centre, cares for 60-80 patients per day (roughly 25,500 people each year). The patients receive health counseling (for example, counseling for people affected by HIV/AIDS), health education and immunization programmes. Preventative medical services are the mainstay of this clinic, but medicines are also provided to the sick.
Socially, most women have low self-esteem as a result of this war that has left with them lifelong bad memories. Either they have been sexually abused by the rebels and other people taking advantage of war, or they have been abducted from their families and taken to the bush, where they have seen their loved ones being killed. They find themselves lonely and isolated leading to low self-esteem and inability to cope in the society.
Many young women are child mothers who bore children after being forced into marriage by the rebels at a young age. This has affected their own mothers who see their daughters returning home, at the age of 20, with several children. And the social life of the local Acholi women has greatly changed. Some women have become unfaithful while others have unwanted pregnancies and end up either aborting or abandoning the babies on failing to be supported.
Children are traumatised
Children, on the other hand, have been very much abused. They return home from the bush when they are mentally traumatised and unable to live with other normal children. They display inappropriate behaviour to the extent that handling them requires specialists, who are lacking in our community. Men have abandoned their families and children have suffered most. This explains why there is an increasing number of street children in Gulu town and other towns in northern Uganda.
However, despite the overwhelming numbers of needy children, SOS Children is playing a very important role in preventing child abandonment and catering for the orphaned and abandoned children of northern Uganda. For the sake of the women and children of northern Uganda, the peace talks must not fail.
http://www.child-soldier.org/children-in-conflict-child-soldiers-in-uganda
The endless war in northern Uganda has affected mostly women and children. Many women have become widows as a result of the rebels killing their husbands. Consequently, they are overloaded with the heavy responsibility of looking after orphans.
And women do not have time to rest. They wake up early in the morning to find ways of feeding their children, with whom they have to move long distances in search of food. At the end of the day, they come back very tired, and so stressed and frustrated that they cannot sleep at night.
The majority of women are suffering due to the loss of their husbands and relatives. They look for money to take their children to school yet they have no proper source of income, nobody to give them a hand, because almost everybody finds herself in the same situation.
Children in the aftermath of war
The SOS Social Centre in Gulu supports over 250 children and mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former child soldiers also receive counseling.
Education, health care and employment are human rights. Due to poverty, illness and the political unrest in the area, the number of children without the support of their natural family is increasing steadily and SOS Children is constantly developing its approach to child care in order to meet these changing needs.The aim of our “Family Strengthening Programmes” and SOS Social Centres is to respond realistically and effectively to the situation of orphans, vulnerable children and their families and to prevent child abandonment. Through skills training, literacy classes, education, counseling and improved nutrition the families know they can become independent, self-reliant and confident in their own ability to provide for the children in their care. Ultimately the communities want to care for their children.
The Social Centre opened in June 2002 and currently provides all the services mentioned above to 250 children and female guardians/mothers. The parents/guardians are also supported with training in agriculture and tailoring, for example, and those who want to set up small businesses are offered business training and micro loans; they will ultimately be more able to financially and emotionally support the children in their care and this lessens the risk of child abandonment. We also run a day-care centre for 50 children from single-parent families here, and the SOS Medical Centre, which is part of the SOS Social Centre, cares for 60-80 patients per day (roughly 25,500 people each year). The patients receive health counseling (for example, counseling for people affected by HIV/AIDS), health education and immunization programmes. Preventative medical services are the mainstay of this clinic, but medicines are also provided to the sick.
Socially, most women have low self-esteem as a result of this war that has left with them lifelong bad memories. Either they have been sexually abused by the rebels and other people taking advantage of war, or they have been abducted from their families and taken to the bush, where they have seen their loved ones being killed. They find themselves lonely and isolated leading to low self-esteem and inability to cope in the society.
Many young women are child mothers who bore children after being forced into marriage by the rebels at a young age. This has affected their own mothers who see their daughters returning home, at the age of 20, with several children. And the social life of the local Acholi women has greatly changed. Some women have become unfaithful while others have unwanted pregnancies and end up either aborting or abandoning the babies on failing to be supported.
Children are traumatised
Children, on the other hand, have been very much abused. They return home from the bush when they are mentally traumatised and unable to live with other normal children. They display inappropriate behaviour to the extent that handling them requires specialists, who are lacking in our community. Men have abandoned their families and children have suffered most. This explains why there is an increasing number of street children in Gulu town and other towns in northern Uganda.
However, despite the overwhelming numbers of needy children, SOS Children is playing a very important role in preventing child abandonment and catering for the orphaned and abandoned children of northern Uganda. For the sake of the women and children of northern Uganda, the peace talks must not fail.
http://www.child-soldier.org/children-in-conflict-child-soldiers-in-uganda
David Cameron's reponse to Juliets letter
http://www.scribd.com/doc/36061066/Letter-From-David-Cameron-to-Juliet
The LRA's effect on Sudan, Democratic republic of Congo and the republic of Central Africa
SUDAN
The above video gives a good account and history of the LRA in Uganda its effects on the people and former LRA soldiers, it goes on to explain the current situation of the LRA and its effect on Sudan.
Besides the obvious problem of the havoc, murders and abductions the LRA are carrying out in south Sudan, there are other underlying problems. They could possibly be kept hidden from their hunters in northern Sudan by the Sudan government and military. The Sudan government have previously funded the LRA and have close ties. The president of Kartoum, Bashir also is wanted by the international criminal court, could this be a commonality that will link Bashir with Kony? A civil war could also occur due to increased tension and history between north and south of Sudan as they are on the verge of seperation.
CONGO
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
RAISE AWARENESS STOP THE LRA, "LET THE WORLD KNOW".
Juliets letter to British Priminister David Cameron
Dear David Cameron,
My name is Juliet. I come from Northern Uganda. I am visiting London this week because the charity war child helped me to come to England to share my story with school children and politicians. I am weiting to you to appeal for your support for girls like me who have been affected by conflict. when I was 12, I was abducted by rebels from Lord's Resistence Army. I experience many terrible things. I saw many children being killed. We moved long distances, carrying heavy luggage with children on our backs. My friend whom we were abducted together also died. At 14, I was forced into sexual relationship with a man above my age. I got pregnant and had painful labour for two weeks. in the bush there is no hospital. I was not in a position to deliver so the baby died and I got health problems. Eventually I was taken to kenya for treentment and from there I planned my escape.
I was lucky and i managed to get away. I made it back to my family and got help to rebuild my life. many people and organisations helped me including The Christian Counseling Fellowship and WarChild Uk who helped me back to school, get medical support and counselling.
when I was in the bush I missed school for 6 years but alwys had the desire to go back to school. I now joined the school that was founded to help children who have been affected by war including child mothers. the school has a day care centre so girls with babies can still study and breastfeed during break times. Expectant mothers get medical support from school.
This is the only school in Uganda like this, without this school, girl mothers and former girl soldiers would not be able to be in education. Returning to studies after a long time away was very difficult but I am making it. I am Head Girl and I hope to continue to university to study law.
I want to be a lawyer so I can defend girls who have been sexually abused and to bring men who abuse to justice.
Many girls in northern Uganda and other countries affected by conflict all over the world have experienced the same situation that I went through. Girls suffer most in the war. Girls and many young woman are making up more than half the people in these countries. I appreciate the UK government for their kindness upon the children of northern Uganda. I thank you for giving money to help my country and I ask that your money reaches girls affected by conflict so the impact of you will be greater as more people will be helped.
When you meet the United nations this September to talk about developement in poor countries, please remember us girls who went through conflict. We can get great thing if supported in education.
I have never forgotten about the children and girls who are still in the bush. I also appeal to you to find a way to relaease the girls and children who are still in the bush with the LRA in the Demcratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan. They should come back home and be supported with studies. This is an international problems and I ask you to take international leadership to stop this injustice which is still carrying on.
I request your support to help girls and v=children like me. We should be in school and in a position to achieve in life. We should not be forced into war and early marraige.
I also give you a present. on the CD is a message from my friends in northern Uganda and also some of the children I met in England.
Thank you very much
Apio Juliet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/warchild/4792633847/in/photostream/
My name is Juliet. I come from Northern Uganda. I am visiting London this week because the charity war child helped me to come to England to share my story with school children and politicians. I am weiting to you to appeal for your support for girls like me who have been affected by conflict. when I was 12, I was abducted by rebels from Lord's Resistence Army. I experience many terrible things. I saw many children being killed. We moved long distances, carrying heavy luggage with children on our backs. My friend whom we were abducted together also died. At 14, I was forced into sexual relationship with a man above my age. I got pregnant and had painful labour for two weeks. in the bush there is no hospital. I was not in a position to deliver so the baby died and I got health problems. Eventually I was taken to kenya for treentment and from there I planned my escape.
I was lucky and i managed to get away. I made it back to my family and got help to rebuild my life. many people and organisations helped me including The Christian Counseling Fellowship and WarChild Uk who helped me back to school, get medical support and counselling.
when I was in the bush I missed school for 6 years but alwys had the desire to go back to school. I now joined the school that was founded to help children who have been affected by war including child mothers. the school has a day care centre so girls with babies can still study and breastfeed during break times. Expectant mothers get medical support from school.
This is the only school in Uganda like this, without this school, girl mothers and former girl soldiers would not be able to be in education. Returning to studies after a long time away was very difficult but I am making it. I am Head Girl and I hope to continue to university to study law.
I want to be a lawyer so I can defend girls who have been sexually abused and to bring men who abuse to justice.
Many girls in northern Uganda and other countries affected by conflict all over the world have experienced the same situation that I went through. Girls suffer most in the war. Girls and many young woman are making up more than half the people in these countries. I appreciate the UK government for their kindness upon the children of northern Uganda. I thank you for giving money to help my country and I ask that your money reaches girls affected by conflict so the impact of you will be greater as more people will be helped.
When you meet the United nations this September to talk about developement in poor countries, please remember us girls who went through conflict. We can get great thing if supported in education.
I have never forgotten about the children and girls who are still in the bush. I also appeal to you to find a way to relaease the girls and children who are still in the bush with the LRA in the Demcratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan. They should come back home and be supported with studies. This is an international problems and I ask you to take international leadership to stop this injustice which is still carrying on.
I request your support to help girls and v=children like me. We should be in school and in a position to achieve in life. We should not be forced into war and early marraige.
I also give you a present. on the CD is a message from my friends in northern Uganda and also some of the children I met in England.
Thank you very much
Apio Juliet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/warchild/4792633847/in/photostream/
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