Sarah’s Uganda Trip
Spring 2011 Newsletter
In February Sarah was invited to work in Uganda as part of our work for International Development Charity Food for the Hungry UK. Working with local Food for the Hungry staff, Sarah was instrumental in drafting a proposal for Comic Relief to help girls affected by the civil war in Northern Uganda.
During the war, which lasted for over 16 years, the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army systematically abducted, raped, impregnated and terrorized girls. Many of these abductees were forced to become rebel wives and many gave birth to children. Following the 2006 peace agreement tens of thousands escaped or were released by the LRA and attempted to re-integrate into their former communities. Many were deeply traumatised but the girls and their children were rejected and stigmatised by their families and communities as ‘damaged goods’, leaving them highly vulnerable and at risk of further abuse.
Many girls, although not abducted, were also subjected to horrific sexual violence and rape whilst in the internally displaced person’s camps during the war. These vulnerable girls continue to suffer from extreme trauma, depression, social alienation and have been left as the sole providers for their children. Many have missed out on years of education and are living in extreme poverty.
The Food for the Hungry project works with local community groups to ensure the long term community reintegration of these young mothers by providing counselling, community reconciliation, education, life-skills training and livelihood skills training.
'It was a wonderful opportunity to see the difference Food for the Hungry are making to the lives of these vulnerable girls. Through their dedicated support, these girls are getting back their sense of self-esteem and self-worth and learning how to protect themselves from further abuse. Learning a skill such as tailoring or soap making is enabling the girls to lift themselves out of poverty, giving themselves, their children and their families the opportunity of a better future.
