Projects
Uganda
Update from Steve Bramucci
In the beginning of October, 2005, my girlfriend Katrin and I visited Gulu, a town in Northern Uganda, on behalf of the World Children's Project. We carried with us suitcases bursting at the seams with soap and soccer balls, jump ropes and Frisbees to give to a community center at one of Gulu's many IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps. Most of all, we went to Gulu to see, listen and learn.
Northern Uganda has been the battle ground of a slow-burning civil war for nearly twenty years. The result? Nearly a million people uprooted from their homes, living in poverty, often without enough clean water to survive on. The schools in the camps are over crowded and the latrines are maxed out. The children in these camps are forced to walk up to seven kilometers each night in order to reach a safe haven where they can sleep without fear of being abducted. In the morning they make the long walk back to the camps in time for school. When children are abducted they are used as soldiers or sex-slaves and are often forced to kill their own parents, the rationale being that their guilt and shame will bring about their loyalty to the Lord's Resistance Army, the rebel group that is waging this war.
In Gulu we were constantly humbled and amazed by the spirit of the people we met. Children of five or six with baby brothers or sisters strapped to their backs played games like "tag" and "red-rover" with a sense of excitement and true joy that is often missing in American children. Nine year olds sprinted along the soccer pitch for hours without water in stifling heat grinning broadly all the while. One boy, having split his toe open on a rock, rode on the back of a bicycle to have it plastered and was back in the game in a matter of minutes. They were thirsting for a little fun and made the most of our time there.
For our part we taught sports with the help of local interpreters, played and laughed and smiled till the sun hung low on the horizon. At the end of each day we left exausted and deeply amazed by the strength of the children and families in the face of extreme poverty. Like the butterfly flapping its wings in Kansas that sets in motion a chain of events that cumulates in a wild hurricane across the Caribbean, we all have to accept the idea that we, as humans, are inextricably connected. A child dying of Malaria in Malawi is "our" problem just as much as it is "theirs"
These problems are not problems that have quick solutions. They are long term problems that need long term commitment from governments and international donors—but at the same time, we are each called to serve in whatever capacity we have to offer. I am proud to be a part of the World Children’s Project, a charity where I can plan and execute projects that interest me and serve others directly. By now the soap we brought to Gulu is all used, the soccer balls are popped, the jump ropes are worn thin and the Frisbees are cracked, but my memories linger. This is my life, and I chose to live it in service, connection and love.
Thank you for being a part of our mission!
You can read about Steve Bramucci's visit to Gulu, Uganda in COAST Magazine (circulation 4 million) at: coastmagazine.com
Please e-mail us at: worldchildrensproject@yahoo.com
