When HIV might be the better alternative..

IDP Camp - Gulu
Originally uploaded by An Smith

There is something like two hundred and forty NGO's in Gulu at the present moment because of the war with the LRA (I blogged about this in one of my first entries so if you really are interested in whats happening in Northern Uganda cross reference that and there are some links that will tell you what you want to know. If you already know than hey, I think that's even cooler).

As you wander around town you can't help but notice that the only vehicles on the road are convoys for the UN or UNICEF and so on. We spent today distributing food to an IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camp just on the outskirts of Gulu with the WFP (World Food Program) and had the opportunity to tour the camp and meet the people while they rationed their food. We were escorted by two Ugandan army trucks full of dudes with machine guns (just in case) and then about 4 more UN trucks surrounded the one that carried the food. Bit of an ordeal but once you get to the camp the entire process takes about an hour (normally, but we were there all day because there was a film crew from Germany documenting it). They are allocated 25KG of food (roughly depending on the number of people) per family which consists of yellow split peas and millet (dried corn) and they get a 4 litre jug of oil (fortified with vitamin A!!) that should last them anywhere from 30-45 days. I think it depends on how much funding is coming in.. obviously the more money the more these people get fed.

The camp consists of many small round mud huts where the families sleep and often cook their meals. (The one we visited today has about 1600 people living there but this is a small camp). There are communal showers and toilets and a boar hole where they get clean water for cooking and bathing but no running water or electricity. They do have access to other types of food, that I assume they cultivate themselves or just grow in the area (like cassava, coconut and g-nuts which are like peanuts).

Things here are relatively peaceful right now (the raids on villages which involved rape, murder, mutilation and kidnapping of children to turn into soldiers has thankfully stopped at the moment and the LRA is currently
demanding millions of dollars to sign a peace deal) so most families are trying to return back home (wherever that may be) and pick up the pieces of their lives that have been totally destroyed by the rebel army. They are still safer sleeping in the camps at night because they are protected by the Ugandan Army. There are schools at the camps so the children (and there are tons of children) can get a good eduction. There isn't much to do at these camps so - they make babies. HIV, disease, malnutrition and unemployment are obviously high on the list of issues that the NGO's are trying to manage right now, and one of the saddest things I've learned is that a lot of woman are turning to prostitution to survive within the camps (this obviously being a means of income for them). They actually are choosing to risk contracting HIV because they figure they are going to die one way or another.. and HIV is a slower death than starvation. (Not to mention that they don't have any education about using birth control or family planning).

I sat with one of the families today and attempted to talk to them while they waited for their turn to get their food but they didn't speak any English. (It's surprising because in Uganda the official language is English so I assume because of the war and their displacement these people just aren't educated and only know the local languages). It was impossible to really talk but we managed with dumb actions and sign language and I played with the baby while they laughed at my hair and the cuts on my legs and enjoying looking at the pictures I was taking of them on the digital camera.

As a whole it was an amazing and eye opening day and considering we were involved with fundraising last year it was really nice to be able to visit the people and see the progress that is being made here - we are going back all this week so I assume that means more stories..check out the pics on Flickr for some images of the camp and life within it. They seem to have the most amazing thunder and lighting storms ever up here.. and another one is just starting so I assume that means I will not have power soon :)