There Is Life In Spite Of The Pain In Northern Uganda
Aug 03, 2003
WITH the 17-year-old Kony war in northern Uganda having its toll on the population, the number of children taking refuge on streets of Gulu town is swelling.
WITH the 17-year-old Kony war in northern Uganda having its toll on the population, the number of children taking refuge on streets of Gulu town is swelling.
The children are very young, but are worn out, both in body and soul. Every evening, they have to pack their old blankets or ragged bed-sheets and exercise books in a buveera and walk miles to Gulu town.
Fearing abduction by Kony rebels in their homes, over 10,000 children aged between five to 17, sleep out in the cold. They squeeze themselves in churches, hospitals, bus park and on shop verandas where many end up getting malaria and other diseases.
Most of them have nothing to cover themselves with, so they sleep on bare ground or cement floors with only their dirty, torn clothes on.
They sleep for from midnight to 6.00am, then start the tiring journey back home. Some, especially the young, reach home when they are exhausted, so they can not proceed to school. Others go to school straight from the street, without brushing their teeth, or bathing. Besides, there are those who sleep on empty stomachs because their parents can not afford dinner.
The education standard is falling as the frightened children move up and down in search of refuge and have less time to concentrate on books. Only a few persevere to revise their books from the lit verandas.
Some children have taken to menial work around the town, to raise money for scholastic materials. Worst of all, some unscrupulous men lure the young girls into sex in exchange for money. This is one of the reasons that has led to the prevelance of HIV among the children.
Photos by Kennedy Oryema
The children are very young, but are worn out, both in body and soul. Every evening, they have to pack their old blankets or ragged bed-sheets and exercise books in a buveera and walk miles to Gulu town.
Fearing abduction by Kony rebels in their homes, over 10,000 children aged between five to 17, sleep out in the cold. They squeeze themselves in churches, hospitals, bus park and on shop verandas where many end up getting malaria and other diseases.
Most of them have nothing to cover themselves with, so they sleep on bare ground or cement floors with only their dirty, torn clothes on.
They sleep for from midnight to 6.00am, then start the tiring journey back home. Some, especially the young, reach home when they are exhausted, so they can not proceed to school. Others go to school straight from the street, without brushing their teeth, or bathing. Besides, there are those who sleep on empty stomachs because their parents can not afford dinner.
The education standard is falling as the frightened children move up and down in search of refuge and have less time to concentrate on books. Only a few persevere to revise their books from the lit verandas.
Some children have taken to menial work around the town, to raise money for scholastic materials. Worst of all, some unscrupulous men lure the young girls into sex in exchange for money. This is one of the reasons that has led to the prevelance of HIV among the children.
Photos by Kennedy Oryema