(click on the small photos)
Northern Uganda has been plagued by war for more than I7 years. The country is also involved in the conflict which is tearing apart the Great Lakes Region . A whole generation has never enjoyed peace but is longing for it.
Sister Claire-Michelle, pharmacist,
is committed to Justice and Peace
activities in Uganda.
She is also involved in the
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Movement.
She is a member of the Kisubi International Community (near Kampala), where she lives and works together with her fellow sisters : Canadian, American and German.
This community is a formation community which welcomes postulants and candidates who wish to share our missionary life.
On the shore of Lake Victoria
From left to right:
Hedwige Ugandese
Carolina Spanish
Harriet Ugandese
Bernadette Ugandese
Postulants
What happened in Gulu (Northern Uganda) ?
At the invitation of the Justice and Peace Commission of GULU archdiocèse I attended a Peace Day
Celebration which took place on saturday August 23rd, 03. My companions were a Missionary of Africa and two Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Afric, postulants
We travelled on Friday 22 nd. We reached Gulu in the late afternoon and went straight to Lacor Minor Seminary. The staff showed us where the
LRA* passed a few months ago when they abducted a number of seminarians, after tying them.
We spoke to a boy who had managed to escape. The photos of the seminarians who are still in the bush were attached to the altar-cloth in the seminary chapel.
Some of us put up in town. This enabled us to see the night commuters, boys and girls, who trek every evening to Gulu Municipality when darkness falls. They flee their homes in fear of attack or abduction by Kony rebels. They sleep in the cold on verandahs, on the streets, bus park, compounds of schools and hospitals.
"Night commuters" families from around Gulu town,
sleep under a tree at night at Gulu main hospital compound.
A few months ago, two bishops, an a catholic (archbishop of Gulu)
and Anglican (see photograph on the right)
expressed their solidarity with the children
who sleep in the open airevery night
They did the same for a couple of days :
they also slept on Gulu streets.
This situation challenges each one of us !
That's why we were invited to join the secondary school students, boys and girls, who marched for Peace on saturday 23 rd of August 2003.
We assembled at the meeting point with secondary school students and a number of teachers and other adults ready for the Peace March. We were there to show the solidarity of the whole of Uganda. We first marched for peace one kilometer through the town, led by the students'band, up to the Kaunda ground.
After the March, we sat under a tent to take part in the function which had been prepared. A series of speeches, peace songs, moving plays and poems were delivered by Justice and Peace clubs from a number of secondary schools. Since the beginning of 2003, about 400 students have been involved in Justice and Peace clubs in six secondary schools in Gulu District.
Teachers had been trained through peace education workshops as matrons and patrons for these clubs.
These students expressed
the sufferings of whole people
and especially the youth
who have never known peace
since their birth,
and are the victims
of a senseless war
which has been going on
for more than I7 years .
The motto was : " If you want peace, work for peace ".
Each school found a way to express its commitment towards the respect of human rights, peace and reconciliation.This peace education programme will spread to other Northern districts. Here are some extracts from that I heard at the Kaunda Ground :" ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - Peace is no where to be seen (no peace in the bush, no peace in the so called "protected'camps" Killing, rape and starvation is our lot - there are so many slaves in the bush against their will - Verandahs and streets are our homesteads, where do we belong? - Give us food, give us quality education"
At the end of the Peace Day we visited the GUSCO * and WORLD VISION* centres which provide former abductees, boys and girls, with psycho-social rehabilitation. We shared a moment of fellowship with them.
I benefitted from the hospitality of the Sacred Heart Sisters, Moyo. I saw the children they receive every in their compound during the night…
On Sunday morning, we had the Eucharist with the girls of the Sacred Heart Secondary School. My companions and I were asked to address the students after Mass.
We had breakast with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, Gulu. We remembered that a number of adolescent girls had been kidnapped by the Kony rebels in the past. The sisters were doing everything possible not to see that happen again.
We visited a camp of Internally Displaced Persons attached to Lacor Hospital. People were squeezed in subhuman conditions, leaving in overcrowded conditions and therefore hygiene was very poor.
Our hosts wanted us to see their Justice and Peace Office in town .We admired the courage and determination of this local Gulu Team which organised this Peace Day.
It was time to go back to Kampala.
For security reasons they accompanied us by car to the Karuma Falls…
While travelling through LIRA district, we were told people there were not displaced. They were staying in their own homes, but lived in fear of attacks by LRA.*
*LRA: Lord's Resistance Army LRA 's Head : Joseph KONY
*GUSCO : Gulu Save the Children organisation
*World Vision : Protestant ONG
As you can imagine, I needed a few days to integrate this experience in Gulu : I was still there in spirit.
My Community and my friends helped me
Claire-Michelle
Photo of the community in Kisubi
(near Kampala)
WHAT ABOUT US ?
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR PEACE ?
HOW CAN WE WORK FOR PEACE ?Right now
Claire-Michelle is on home leave in France.
You can contact her at the following address
I6 Rue des Filmins
9233O Sceaux (France)
Tel 01 47 02 40 39
E-mail: smndafilmins @compaqnet.fr
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