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Hope North Newsletter Introduction | Biographies | Articles
Odong Moses in Pajule Camp in Gulu district said that there is lack of respect in camps, where people cannot even respect their fellow people. For example, you can even bathe anywhere in the compound. He also said people are crowded where you can't get a space for constructing a latrine. He continued that in one house, you can't even get all family members in the same hut. Ajok Lucy said that in the case of shelter, their camp is the worst because only two pit latrines are serving 100,000 people and accommodations is more poor with people residing under verandas and in the compound. Alum Marian said she was caught by the rebels and she was abducted. Her daughters were raped by the rebels so she doesn't know whether they are healthy up to now. Olum Tobby said he was having four boys who were studying in different levels. One was in Senior One, the other one was in Senior Four, another was in teacher training school, and another was to go for his university education. But when the rebels attacked their area they had to leave the place and go to another district so there was nothing which he could produce to support the children. All these children are still at home up to now. According to Eliden Jhon in camp Onek Gwok-Oyam, there is forced marriage because girls are seen as a source of money. They are forced to get married so that parents get money and wealth just like with goats, cows, and many things. According to him, there was a certain friend of his who was advertising his daughter to boys so that he could get some alcohol, yet the boy he gave her to had HIV/AIDS. Local Council V chairman Oyam said poverty is making girls sell their bodies to rich people to look for the way of survival hence getting HIV/AIDS. He continued to say that some people have bad conduct because they think that if they drink a lot of alcohol they can forget their problems, hence if they are drunk, they can be driven to sex with anybody. In his speech, he said insecurity in northern Uganda will not come to an end if there is not help from countries like America and other countries.
Ruth: We know you're the manager of Hope North, how did you come to be the manager of the school? Flabin: I applied for the job, underwent interviews with the director Mr. Okello Sam and I worked under probation for one month before I was hired as a manager. I reported on July 14, 2008. Ruth: What are some of the challenges that you have faced as the manager of the school? Flabin: To correct you on that, I am not the manager of the school. Hope North is a project consisting of a camp site and a school. So I manage Hope North Uganda as a whole. On the side of the challenges, Hope North is a place that is situated in a remote place. You can be my witness, it is a big challenge. Ruth: I hear you come from Gulu. How is the situation in Gulu for the last five years? Flabin: IGulu has improved in its economic structure. We have seen the market increasing and a lot of infrastructure has improved. People come from as far as southern Sudan to carry out trade. There is relative peace in Gulu apart from a few cases in villages. If the trend continues like that, people are going to face a lot of challenges in many aspects. Ruth: What of the roles of NGOs? Have they helped really? Flabin: Yes, they have helped a lot in terms of security, sponsoring children hence building a human resource base, which is a very critical aspect in development. Ruth: Suppose today you got a chance to talk to Kony, what would you stress? Flabin: Wow, this is very interesting! That question is an ambush to me. If I got a chance to talk to Kony, I would tell him what he has been doing is bad. I would not advise him to sign a peace treaty with the government or not to sign. But, I wish you asked me that if I got a chance to talk to Museveni, the president of Uganda, what would I stress? I would also need a chance to talk to Museveni, because he is the one behind all this. I think Kony does not realize what he is doing is bad. I would like to talk to someone concerned. Read Nakalembe Ruth's Biography
This is a report on the war that has dominated northern Uganda for 21 years and has affected the lives and properties of many people and put northern Uganda in an awkward position in Uganda and in the whole world. It is between the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) and the Uganda government. Out of the experience I have and the research I have made, these are some of the difficulties experienced in northern Uganda, and some in the whole world at large, as summarized below: 1) Loss of lives and properties - For many northerners, that has left them with sorrows all days long, e.g. in Barlonyo Camp where a thousand people were killed at once. (On February 21, 2004, over 200 people were killed by the LRA at Barlonyo Camp in Lira, a large town in northern Uganda). 2) Shortage of social services - Such as hospitals, schools, and others. Hence, there is widespread ignorance and loss of lives in the camps. 3) Human rights violations - Where our rights as human beings have been violated for almost 21 years. For example, caning, being overworked, rape, etc. 4) Widespread increase in the number of street kids - Leads to theft and other unproductive ways of living such as playing cards, pickpocketing, watching movies, and other immoral ways of life and yet they are still very young. 5) Shortage of basic needs - There is no means and ways of providing some basic needs such as food, clothing, education, health care and many others. 6) Early Sex and Marriage - Which is claiming many lives due to the harsh condition they are undergoing. 7) Mental disorders among young people - Due to bomb explosions and pressure in their lives.
Pronunciation guide: the letter "c" in Acholi Luo makes a "ch" sound. Double "o" is a long "o." Also, the combination "er" at the end of a word makes the sound "eh." Finally, in Acholi Luo, when the letter "p" is followed by "w" it makes the sound of the letter "f." Apwoyo is English Rabbit: A rabbit is an animal which stays in both the bush and at home and is eatable. Opego is English Pig: A pig is an animal which stays in both the bush and at home and is eatable. Dyang is English Cow: Cows are animals which stay basically at home and are eatable. Dyel is English Goat: Goats are animals which stay basically at home and are eatable. Gwok is English Dogs: A dog is an animal which stays basically at home and it is used to defend the family. Bura is English Cat: A cat is an animal which stays basically in both house and the bush and it is not eatable. Ongera is English monkey: A monkey is an animal which stays basically in the bush it is not eatable. Ayom is English Baboon: A baboon is an animal which stays basically in the bush and it is not eatable. Bimb is English Gorilla: A gorilla is an animal which stays basically in the bush and it is not eatable. Rec is English Fish: A fish is an animal which stays in the water and it is very nice and has protein. It stays in the water constantly. It breathes by means of gills and is eatable. Raa is English Hippopotamus: A hippopotamus is an animal which stays basically in water and it is eatable. Gweno is English Chicken: A chicken is a domestic bird which we keep at home for domestic purposes. Atudu is English Duck: A duck is a domestic bird kept both at home and in the bush and it is eatable. Read Okot John Bosco's Biography Introduction | Biographies | Articles |
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