On arrival from captivity, the children are taken to a Child Protection Unit (CPU) center 

Some four years ago we learned of the plight of youngsters in and around Gulu in Northern Uganda who were being taken from their families by a rebel group who called themselves the Lord's Resistance Army or LRA. The children were being kidnapped to train as boy soldiers to fight for the LRA or to act as 'wives' to the rebels. If they refused they were tortured, maimed and killed. A state of civil war existed and emergency villages were established where families gathered from the countryside to obtain protection. Agricultural activity in the area all but ceased and many schools were forced to close.

Those children who were able to escape their kidnappers returned to find either their families killed or who, because of the turmoil and extreme poverty that existed, could not provide for them. Thousands of children were recovered by the Uganda Army who returned them to their communities to cope as best they could. But by then many of these young people had become physically and psychologically damaged by their ordeal, many of the girls also having babies to feed. 

The problem was made worse by epidemics of disease. In the Gulu area, AIDS was claiming the lives of many people, particularly among the economically active age groups. And to add to their despair an outbreak of Ebola occurred – a deadly disease that threatened the fabric of community life, much as the Black Death did in Europe in the fourteenth century. Both these problems had the effect of reducing the potential of communities for coping with the needs of the returned children.

World Vision International was one of the first international organisations to start a relief operation setting up reception camps for the returned children and caring for their immediate needs whilst locating their families. A local charity, Gulu Support the Children Organisation or GUSCO supported by Danida's (the Danish Government's Official Overseas Aid Agency) Save the Children Organisation, also helped in this exercise and started a programme of vocational training in elementary skills to help the children find work and support themselves. These children of course had missed out completely on primary education.
 
It was  at this point that we started to talk to our Rotary friends at Hardenberg in Holland, Holzminden in Germany and Viborg-Asmild in Denmark with a view to assisting GUSCO in their vital work in Uganda in a project involving the local Rotary Club of Gulu. It was agreed that two members of Andover Club should travel to Uganda immediately on behalf of the European Clubs to assess the position on the ground. 

The Rotarians spent a week in the area and discussed the situation with local community and government leaders in Gulu all of whom expressed the hope that Rotary would be able to make a positive contribution to their efforts in resolving the situation. They then met with representatives of GUSCO and members of Gulu Rotary Club and were able to formulate an outline plan to help and support GUSCO with an enlarged three year vocational training programme to accommodate up to 3,000 children.  It was agreed that accommodation and food for the students would be provided by GUSCO who would also be responsible for the provision of tutors and the payment of salaries. It was accepted that it would be futile in present circumstances to train students to use tools which would not be available to them after they completed their training and it was agreed that Rotary's European contribution to the project would be to fund and supply the tools for the training centre and also to provide a few simple tools to be given to each student on their completing their training course satisfactorily.

Day to day management of the vocational training unit would be undertaken by GUSCO under the direction of a committee comprising three members of the Rotary Club of Gulu and three others appointed by GUSCO with a Chairman elected from their number. The courses would be planned to provide elementary training in tailoring, carpentry and joinery, bicycle repair, bricklaying and concrete work, and later perhaps elementary metal work.
 
On their return, they reported their findings to their Club Council and the three other European clubs, and it was agreed to set a budget of US$50,000 for the project, US$25,000 to be raised by the four European Clubs and the remainder by way of a Matching Grant from the Rotary Foundation. The application for a Matching Grant had to wait its turn, but has now been approved in the sum of US$21,051 which means that a total of US$ 49,842 is now available for Hope after Tragedy which is what we have decided to call the project when it gets into its stride later this year. Much has still to be done, however, not least investigating the best and cheapest source for the tools required and the means of getting them to Northern Uganda.

Look out for further developments

Andover
8th February 2005

Project Launch 22nd December 2005 

Our initiative in Gulu, Northern Uganda -  Hope after Tragedy - was launched at our meeting on Tuesday 22 November when we held a teleconference involving the Rotary Clubs of Gulu; Hardenberg, Holland; Holzminden, Germany; and Viborg-Asmild, Denmark.

Quite an amazing experience, when participants from all the five Clubs involved were able to exchange greetings and good wishes over the loud speaker telephones, expertly handled at our end by Gordon Howard. From Gulu, amongst others, we heard from Charles Okwakalwak, the President of the Rotary Club of Gulu - the Mayor of Gulu - and Martin Kiyaga, the Assistant Governor Northern Uganda. 

Holland was represented by their President Henk Schoemaker, Germany by Dr Thore Litta, and Denmark by Bent Reese-Petersen. From Andover greetings and good wishes were expressed by Alex Collister - Peter Boulton, the Mayor of Test Valley - Reg Ling, our District Governor - and June Jarrett, the Principal of Cricklade College. A few other people did take part, but it was not always possible to catch their names, but all was smoothly conducted by MC Simon Smeddles. 

Our meeting at the Quality Hotel was also attended by pupils and teachers from the John Hanson and Harrow Way Schools and the Revd. Canon Dr. Stephen Trapnell, Winchester Diocese. It really was a truly memorable event. And just to bring you all up to date: originally the Project in Uganda was set up as a partnership between the Rotary Club of Uganda and Gusco (Gulu Support the Children Organisation) a highly respected local NGO, but sadly it appears that the latter ran out of funds to pay for the instructors, class room facilities etc. These fall outside the parameters of our Matching Grant. which only allow us to pay for the tools required for the training programme, and for presenting the students with a tool kit of their trade on successful completion of their training to set up in business on their own. However, our friends in Gulu have been able to reach a new agreement with World Vision International in Northern Uganda through their Outreach Programme in Gulu. World Vision in Uganda is a part of a highly respected and very major Christian aid organisation with headquarters in the United States.

World Vision in Uganda are already involved in the psychological care and vocational training of disadvantaged, vulnerable children. They will now be able to extend their programme. They operate two training schools in Gulu: St Joseph Technical School and the Anaka Vocational School, and so far 200 students have been selected for training which is already under way. There can be no doubt that we could not have found a better partner, and it is so encouraging that the Hope after Tragedy Project has finally been successfully launched. Inevitably there are still a number of details to be sorted out before we can submit a full up date to Rotary Foundation in the States, and of course to our European partners, and our Gulu sub-committee is facing some busy weeks ahead. 

Some of the children sustain injuries 
during their captivity

Girls are given special care especially
'child mothers' and their babies

Some of the returned children
 have not eaten for days

The beginning of a new life - children
being taught tailoring by GUSCO -
we plan to expand this programme

Julius Tiboa 
Programme Coordinator and
Arach Beatrice the Programme Officer
of GUSCO in Uganda

Rotarians from the four European Clubs meeting in Brussels in September 2004 chaired by Richard Scriven of Andover Club convened to develop the project -
Hope after Tragedy