Page 22 - link magazine

22 The Link Magazine • April 2006
Witness to bestial intent
David and Linda Wright have been in Uganda since 2003 where David is a director of Save the Children, having spent the previous 5 years
working for the charity in Nepal. They lived in Swindon from 1972 until 2002 and David was the director of Thamesdown Voluntary Services
Council (which preceded Voluntary Action Swindon) between 1972 and 1983. Here they describe a forgotten war where children
are kidnapped and brutalised before being sent into battle.
Much of the work in Save On our way back
the Children in Uganda - a to the main regional
partnership of Save the town of Gulu we see
Children UK, Save the throngs of older chil-
Children Norway and Save dren walking on ei-
the Children Denmark - is ther side of the road.
undertaken in the north- Where have they
ern area of the country come from, where are
which is so badly affected they going, is there
by the atrocities of the something happen-
Lord's Resistance Army. ing in town tonight? Linda and David
For the last 18 years this What is happening and young people that have es-
weird sect army, which ac- takes place every caped from the LRA where they
cording to its leader wants night - up to 25,000 receive counselling, medical care
to see Uganda controlled by children finish the and help in locating their families.
the 10 commandments, has day's schooling and Many of the teenage girls are
waged a war of terror. Thou- Children in a Save the Children night shelter set up return home to pregnant or have young babies
sands of children have been to protect them from kidnapping by the LRA 'search' for food. You having been the 'wives' of LRA
abducted - the boys brutal- never go for a meal in soldiers. These young people, some
ised to become child soldiers, the help people here, or to see chil- Uganda but 'search' for it - very as young as 8 or 9 years, all have
girls sexually abused, their homes dren without the distended bel- evocative language based on the horrific stories to tell but are hope-
and villages destroyed. People lies of malnutrition. hand to mouth existence in the ful of the future and looking for-
across the region made homeless So imagine the joy in one par- village. After eating they walk to ward to being reunited with their
by the attacks, or by Government ticular area in a camp to be met by the town which can be up to 10 families who have already visited
policies to protect the population, a party in full swing and we are kilometres distant to sleep for the them in the centre.
now live in Internally Displaced the guests of honour! David is to night to avoid abduction
Peoples' Camps. officially open a Save the Chil- by the LRA. They sleep in School in the Karamojah district of Uganda
Can you imagine being a poor dren sponsored centre so it is a shelters, barn like build-
family living in the village where day of celebration. The ragged ings with up to 500 other
your forefathers have lived for children in their hundreds have children, where they re-
generations, suddenly being re- been fed biscuits and squash, a ceive medical aid and en-
quired to vacate your property and very rare treat, and are now sit- couragement in hygiene.
the small amount of land you man- ting patiently in the afternoon sun Here the older children
age to farm, to live in a vast camp watching the various tribal danc- must finish their home-
with thousands of people from ing groups, listening to the beat work or study for their
other villages as well as your own of the unstoppable drummers and GCSE's on the steps be-
entire village? laughing at the playlets designed low a single dim light.
Visiting the camps one feels an to show the need for HIV status In the same area Save
overwhelming sense of despair testing, prevention and medica- the Children in Uganda
that anyone can ever do enough to tion. fund a centre for children

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