Uganda: children of war; amid war, hunger, and despair, young Ugandans strive for better lives. (World).It started as a quiet, relaxed evening for Akello "Betty" Openy. The 12-year-old was sitting by the fireplace in her home in the Gulu district Gulu is a district in northern Uganda, taking its name from its commercial centre, the town of Gulu. It is one of three districts forming the historical homeland of the Acholi ethnic group, also known as Acholiland. of northern Uganda. Her mother was cooking dinner, and her father was telling stories to keep Betty and her sister awake as they waited for their food. "Suddenly, we heard screaming outside, followed by gunshots," Betty told JS. "Before we could run for our lives, rebels took over our family compound. They caught my father, tied his hands behind his back, and told him to lead the way to the next village." Two weeks after her father was abducted abducted Distal angulation of an extremity away from the midline of the body in a transverse plane and away from a sagittal plane passing through the proximal aspect of the foot or part, or away from some other specified reference point (taken by force), Betty and the rest of her family--four brothers, three sisters, and her mother--fled their ancestral ANCESTRAL. What relates to or has, been done by one's ancestors; as homage ancestral, and the like. (family) home in fear. When they reached a nearby town, Betty's brothers built two small mud huts with thatched thatch n. 1. Plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing. 2. Something, such as a thick growth of hair on the head, that resembles thatch. 3. Dead turf, as on a lawn. tr.v. roofs. This is where the family still lives, seven years later. "For my entire life, I have lived with war," Betty says. "[Now] we are forced to live in wastelands of poverty and disease." At least Betty's father is home again. But repeated beatings by his captors have left him disabled. He cannot work to support his family. Seventeen Years of Violence Like many Ugandan children, Betty is a refugee (someone who flees) from violence. For 17 years, Uganda has been torn apart by a civil war. In 1986, following a military coup (takeover), Yoweri Museveni  Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (pronunciation ) (born c. became the President of Uganda The President of Uganda is the head of state in Uganda. The role began as a largely ceremonial position, with the Prime Minister holding the true power. The first president was the king of Buganda, due to the power of the monarchist Kabaka Yekka party. . Soon afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here , a group of rebels called the Lord's Resistance Army Noun 1. Lord's Resistance Army - a quasi-religious rebel group in Uganda that terrorized and raped women and kidnapped children who were forced to serve in the army (LRA LRA Lord's Resistance Army (rebel group in Uganda) LRA Louisiana Recovery Authority LRA Local Registration Authority LRA Local Redevelopment Authority ) began fighting a civil war against Museveni's government. The LRA wanted to replace the secular (nonreligious) Ugandan government with their vision of a true Christian one. To get supplies, food, and manpower, rebels launched raids on the people of northern Uganda. Members of the LRA destroyed schools and homes, and kidnapped Kidnapped caught in the intrigues of Scottish factions, David Balfour and Alan Breck are shipwrecked, escape from the king’s soldiers, and undergo great dangers. [Br. Lit.: R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped] See : Adventurousness more than 15,000 young people and adults, including Betty's father. These captives (prisoners) were forced to work for the LRA as cooks, porters, and soldiers. Most were treated like slaves. Mary was 14 when the LRA kidnapped her. "A man came by our compound and asked us to show him the way to the next village," she told a relief agency. "Minutes later, five more men came... . Each of us was chained together with ropes like goats. I started crying for my grandmother [and] was hit very hard for crying." The LRA forced Mary to work as a porter for months. "They took us to a warehouse where there were heavy bags of rice that they made us carry," she said. "They were so heavy, but if you couldn't carry [them], they might kill you." In the Camps In 1996, the Ugandan government began to move people in northern parts of the country away from the rebels. Whole families were relocated to the center of Uganda and forced to live in displaced-persons camps called "protected villages." About 600,000 people--more than half of the population of northern Uganda--now live in these villages. But life there is not easy. Entire families are out of work and must grow whatever food they can on limited amounts of land. As a result, many Ugandans in the camps suffer from malnutrition malnutrition, insufficiency of one or more nutritional elements necessary for health and well-being. Primary malnutrition is caused by the lack of essential foodstuffs—usually vitamins, minerals, or proteins—in the diet. . The camps are crowded, and some lack clean water and sanitation facilities. Few people have adequate (satisfactory) access to health care or medicine. A recent study estimated that 300,000 children in northern Uganda are now out of school. Many have nothing to do all day. Idleness (inactivity)--and the lack of schooling, jobs, and food--is a great source of frustration for children in the camps. Child Prisoners Such frustration, however, is dwarfed by the fear of being kidnapped. More than 11,000 young people have been abducted by the LRA. These children face great difficulties when they return to society. Donald, 15, was a prisoner of the LRA for four months. He was lucky to escape from the rebels, but in running to freedom he only found more trouble. "I was alone for days in the bush [countryside], weak and exhausted," he told relief workers. "Finally I found a village, and the first woman I saw ran away from me in fear." Eventually, Donald was taken to a displaced-persons camp where he returned to school. But he is still traumatized by his experiences. "I dream about what happened to me, that they are killing me," he said. Despite his nightmares, Donald also dreams of becoming a doctor and of living in peace. The Key to the Future Young people in Uganda may be the biggest casualties (victims) of the ongoing civil war. Few children have been able to get a good education, and most have not learned skills that will help them earn a decent living. Some young Ugandans are working to find solutions to these problems. Betty Openy, for example, started an organization called Gulu Youth for Action (see sidebar below). The group helps other young people get access to education. "First and foremost we need peace," Betty told JS. "We [also] have a right to education, and we want to go to school." Betty is lucky. After missing two years of school, she found someone to sponsor her education. Now she is back in class, trying to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, or perhaps an international lawyer. Betty knows just how important school is in her life, and in the lives of all the children in Uganda. "When someone is educated they can stand up for themselves, find a job, and make good decisions," she says. "A generation without education is doomed." Your Turn WORD MATCH 1. abducted A. inactivity 2. casualties B. taken by force 3. refugee C. satisfactory 4. idleness D. victims 5. adequate E. someone who flees ANSWERS 1. B 2. D 3. E 4. A 5. C RELATED ARTICLE: Making a Difference My mother never went to school, and she could not find a job [when we moved] to Gulu Town. Although she valued education, my mother could not raise money for any of us to go to school. One by one, my brothers and sisters were all forced to drop out. Finally, it was my turn. December 6, 2000, marked the end of my education. I cried for two weeks. I failed to realize my dream, which was to become a doctor, and it was very difficult for me to accept this truth. Access to school is nearly impossible for many children in Uganda. There are few schools, and most people cannot pay the school fees, which can be as high as $500 a year. Only a small number of students attend university. After thinking about these problems, Ochora Emmanuel and I formed an organization called Gulu Youth For Action. GYFA GYFA Glencarse Young Farmers Association is calling for emergency support for education to send young people back to school. Only through education can we help save our communities from further poverty and ruin. After missing almost two years, I am happy to be back in school. Although I am studying sciences and math and would still like to be a doctor, I now want to study international law, too. There are many children in Uganda and around the world who have had to flee their homes because of war and who have not returned to school. I want to help them. Betty Openy How You Can Help The Woman's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. that assists refugees in Uganda and around the world, suggests that you do the following things to help: Write letters to your senators, Representatives, and Governor, asking them to help refugees. Ask other students in your school to write a letter, too! Host a benefit or car wash at your school and donate the profits to refugee children or to an organization of your choice. UGANDA Located in east-central Africa, Uganda borders the northern shores of Lake Victoria. Britain controlled this country for almost 70 years, starring in the late 1800s. In 1962, Uganda finally won independence. But peace has eluded the African nation. From 1971 to 1979, General Idi Amin, a military dictator dictator, originally a Roman magistrate appointed to rule the state in times of emergency; in modern usage, an absolutist or autocratic ruler who assumes extraconstitutional powers. From 501 B.C. until the abolition of the office in 44 B.C., Rome had 88 dictators. known for killing his political opponents, ruled Uganda. Since 1979, the country has suffered two long periods of civil war. FACTS TO KNOW AREA: 93,066 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. , about the size of Illinois and Indiana combined. POPULATION: 24,700,000; 16% urban, 84% rural. GOVERNMENT: Dominant party: Yoweri Museveni has been President since 1986. ECONOMY: Though only 25% of the country's land is arable, more than 80% of Ugandans work in agriculture. Chief export crops: coffee, corn, cotton, tea, and tobacco. PER CAPITA [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. GDP GDP (guanosine diphosphate): see guanine. : $1,100. RELIGIONS: Christianity; 66%; African religions African religions Indigenous religions of the African continent. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continent's major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the , 18%; Islam, 16%. LANGUAGES: English (official), Luganda, Swahili, others. LITERACY: Males, 74%; females, 50%. LIFE EXPECTANCY Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. : Males, 42 years; females, 44 years. QUESTIONS 1. What is the capital of Uganda?_____ 2. Which country borders Uganda to the east?_____ 3. What river flows between Lake Kioga and Lake Albert Noun 1. Lake Albert - a shallow lake on the border between Uganda and Congo in the Great Rift Valley Lake Albert Nyanza, Mobuto Lake ?_____ 4. What town is located closest to 1[degrees]S, 30[degrees]E?_____ 5. Entebbe lies just north of which named line of latitude Noun 1. line of latitude - an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator parallel of latitude, parallel, latitude polar circle - a line of latitude at the north or south poles ?_____ 6. The area around which Ugandan town has the most displaced persons displaced person: see refugee. ?_____ 7. Which nation on Uganda's southern border has been affected by a number of civil and military conflicts?_____ 8. What is the approximate distance in miles from Gulu to Kampala?_____ 9. Which town on the shores of Lake Victoria is less than 25 miles east of the site of a dangerous conflict?_____ 10. What natural feature is located on the Victoria Nile Victoria Nile, river, section of the White Nile, c.260 mi (420 km) long, central Uganda, E central Africa. It drains from the northern end of Lake Victoria at Jinja and flows generally north and west, over Ripon Falls and Owen Falls (both now submerged), through River near Lake Albert?_____ ANSWERS 1. Kampala 2. Kenya 3. The Victoria Nile 4. Kabale 5. The equator 6. Gulu 7. Rwanda 8. About 175 miles 9. Jinja 10. Kabalega Falls |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion