All this bouncing between the good, the bad and the ugly, is highly disorientating stuff: your sense of 'self' must take on a very elastic quality or it tends to lose its anchoring. But maybe this is a positive in itself? (more on that later).
The school I'm working at is, as I think I've discussed, one with many needs. So many in fact, that it's difficult to know where to start. The gentleman running the school, started it only 3 years ago (from his own pocket) when the conflict here finally ended. As a victim of this war, he vowed that if he survived he would help to rebuild both his culture and his community. His organization is called "Youth Vision Uganda" and it's amazing to witness such iron like will. The challenges of such an endeavour in even the greatest conditions are great, but watching a man do this single-handedly is something deeply inspiring. Here is a link to his website: http://youthvisionuganda.cfsites.org/
I'll avoid giving you all a history lesson, but I will provide some brief context as it's really needed to accurately frame the bigger picture and question as to why there exists so much need.
Uganda was once the poster-child of post-colonial Africa. When it achieved independence in 1962, it had all the trappings of a fully functional society, ready to take on the challenges associated with statehood. The devil is in the details as they say, and Uganda is a case in point. Among the biggest contributors to the poverty here are the history of conflict and failed leadership. To avoid giving you a dissertation on the history of post-colonial Uganda, I've provided you with a brief youtube video and a link, which I hope will give you some perhaps better perspective. WARNING: Some of the content is graphic, and quite likely disturbing, but I urge you to watch, if only to gather a deeper sense of what has happened here for the past 20 years, and what the children of this area have to overcome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDJRmYE6cyI
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history/
For the documentary buffs out there, there is "Uganda Rising" which you may be able to find at a
library. And another good one is called "Invisible Children" which you should be able to find at Blockbuster. Finally another excellent one is called "War Dance" which, will for sure be at Blockbuster.
Some quick facts about the conflict:
- An estimated 80,000 children in total were abducted over the course of the conflict.
- The leader of the LRA remains at large in Congo, and to this day enacts the same brutalities on the people of the Congo.
- An estimated 1.8 million people were displaced as a result of the conflict and forced to live in camps, where no food, water, or sanitation was provided to them. To this day, 1 million continue to live in such conditions.
- Roughly 1 million people were killed in this conflict.
- The conflict was categorized as the worst humanitarian emergency in the world at the time, and help in any substantial form did not come until the conflict ended.
- The conflict informally ended in 2007, but the LRA has vowed to return.
Now, all things being equal, I am well aware that these are complex situations that the international community cannot just 'fix'. Some conflicts need to just find their own solution, as horrible a reality as that is for those who sit in the path. I am also well aware that there is no 'perfect world' and that there can never be. However, I do believe that situations such as this demand attention. There is a term known as 'mutual vulnerability' which centres on the belief that the instability of many, threatens the security of the few. In theory, it makes a lot of sense. In practice, it's not so easy.
I've gone off the beaten track somewhat, so I'll get back to my discussion on my experiences this week.
When I first went to the school a few weeks ago, I was shocked to see 40-60 children packed into one room, sitting on a dirt floor. My wife and I decided to donate enough money to buy the school some chairs for the students to sit on. It wasn't much, but the immediate joy on the children's faces is something I'll never forget. Word got around the village that a 'mzungu' (a white man) had donated some chairs, and the parents are all hoping to come and meet me to say thanks. I can't imagine walking up to 10kms just to say thanks to someone, never mind being excited about seeing a chair in a classroom.
(*although calling someone "white man" sounds racist or derogatory, it isn't. It's a descriptor, and that is merely how their language is structured. For example, trees are not called a "palm tree" or "pine tree" they would be instead a single word that conveys the appearance of the tree. For instance, "palm tree" could be one word loosely translated as "big tree with many green bushy leaves. Hope this clarifies.)
The chairs had an immediate effect on the school; one which I only hope is a sign of momentum. But this momentum won't grow on its own. In the coming days, I'm going to be putting together a blog with a paypal link which asks you all to donate. I'm going to urge everyone I know to donate something. Don't think for a second that even $5 does nothing...it does, I know from experience.
The cost of sending a child to school for an entire year, runs at about $45. The average income here however, is often less than a dollar a day--many times it's even as low as $10/mth. The teachers make about $50/mth, and the man running the school? NOTHING at all goes in his pocket from this school or his organization. He works full-time and also is attending school full-time, while doing this! The entire word "possible" has taken on new meaning to me.
I would not ask any of my friends and family for money if I thought for a second that it wasn't going directly to it's intended purpose. I also wouldn't ask for it if I thought that these people were just looking for handouts. The entire idea behind this school and organization is to build a generation of confident youths who are educated and capable of self-sustaining themselves in the future. One of the unfortunate consequences of war is that it disrupts education, among other things. When a conflict has stretched 20 years, the impacts are deep.
Anything anyone donates is completely tax deductible, and full accountability reports are provided to any donor. Anyways, I'll discuss this in-depth in the coming days, but please consider helping, even a little.
On a lighter note, the broken english you see here can sometimes elicit laughter out of nowhere. I was sitting in a restaurant last night, and upon looking at the menu, noticed that they were selling "Fish and Chips with Tartan sauce" I had to chuckle to myself picturing a breaded halibut all dressed with a thick coating of highland plaid! Incidentally, I'll be ordering that very dish this evening, although I'm not holding out for it to wow me with flavour, much of the food here is extremely bland.
Anyways, that's it for now. I hope you are all well and thank you all for your time.
Take good care,
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment