I.D.P. camps

"Anyone who is among the living has hope..." Ecclesiastes 9:4

We went to two I.D.P. (internally displaced persons) camps when we were in northern Uganda - Omel and Choruwa (sp?). Since the peace talks started, a resettlement process has started, and people are being encouraged to go home, but - of course - after 20 years of war, people are cautious. I don't know why I was expecting to see UNHCR tents. The camps basically consist of traditional huts crowded closely together. People built their homes closely together for reasons of security. A few government soldiers were meant to patrol the camps, but sometimes they just used their power to rape women who lived there. There were young kids everywhere in the camps, and most were wearing fairly dirty, faded clothes. None of them had shoes. We asked why they weren't in school and got vague answers about "their parents are really busy" or "their parents don't have money for school fees" or "their parents don't have hope." We went to the camps with CPAR - a Canadian NGO. Their purpose was to hand over money to landmine advocacy groups. In the second camp, the advocacy group put on a presentation of song and courtship danced (I wasn't sure of the exact connection with landmines to that one...) and then a drama about the dangers of landmines and abduction.

I was talking with one man who shared about his uncle being captured by the rebels in 1998. His name was on their list because they needed someone to perform catechism. The family has hope that he is still alive, but his wife died of trauma within the year. "Everyone has trauma here. Children have seen too much violence. There are mad people wandering the streets. Women have suffered. Youth are at a high risk of suicide. But, you know, we hope for peace. We have to...."