Nigel Marsh, a World Vision communications manager, recently travelled to Koro, near Gulu in northern Uganda. Ten years ago, he lived in Koro, where he helped run a school with his wife.
Nigel reflects on how the conflict has changed the town and surrounding areas. Ten Years Later
Most of the population lives in a displacement camp . This is a new fact of life in northern Uganda. Hundreds of thousands of people in the area live in small, round mud huts, crammed together near army barracks. They used to be self-sufficient farmers, but now they are often unable to get to their land and rely on relief food instead.
The reason is the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). This pseudo-spiritual rebel force has waged a 19-year insurgency against the Ugandan government by attacking civilians. The LRA's methods are to sow terror through murder, mutilation, and robbery, and they recruit army members by abducting children and brutalizing children. No one seems to know how many tens of thousands of children and adults have been taken or killed or mutilated. As a result, civilians have left their homes and settled into these camps for fear of attack.
Nigel Marsh (right) with Koro villager |
I remember when World Vision opened the first of its three centres in Gulu to rehabilitate children of war who had escaped the LRA . I was impressed by the dedication of the staff members who share their lives with these wounded, hurting children, and I still am. After a decade, the centre has helped nearly 11,000 children start their lives again after months or years in the bush .
A Family Reunited
When I visited in the displacement camp, I was privileged to witness Stephen*, a 15-year-old boy who was taken by the LRA for six months, reunite with his family.
The Ugandan army recaptured Stephen in an ambush and handed him over to the World Vision rehabilitation centre.
Staff and other former child soldiers welcomed Stephen to the centre with singing. Theyalso gave him food, clothes, and medical treatment. Counsellors spent a month using art therapy, drama, discussion, group work, and one-to-one debriefing to help him deal with his life in the bush.
Stephen's parents are overjoyed to have him back. They sang and shouted their thanks to God the moment their son walked into the camp.
Hope for the Future
My hope is for this ugly war to end so that children can return home and have a future.
*Name has been changed.
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