Candle Lit Huts

On Sunday night I spent the night in a hut in Lacoracora IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camp. My friend Komakech invited Autumn, Casey and I to go visit his family there. Komakech has lived in Gulu for nine years, since his third abduction by the LRA. After escaping with his life for the third time, his family sent him to live in the relative safety of Gulu town. His family however still reside in the IDP camp along with 25,000 other displaced persons.

Upon arriving to the camp, we were welcomed by Komakech’s family as well as the chief of Acholi Land’s councilmen. Although the chief himself has been displaced, his palace is located in the IDP camp, so the councilmen remain there also. The councilmen (10 white-haired, proper, Acholi men) took us on a tour of the camp which included the burial places of the great cheifs of the past. We felt very honored to be in the presence of these great men and also were very aware of the residents of the camp who attempt to survive in the cramped conditions and suffer from poor health care and live on very little food.

Later in the night, over a meal of sweet potatoes, malakwong and sesame paste, Komakech’s family shared the stories of their lives with us. Though they themselves have survived the war, many of their relatives have not. They also still fear the LRA and Komakech’s father told us of his fear of leaving the camp. He said that he fears venturing even two kilometers away from camp (we traveled about 30 kilometers just to get there). His greatest wish is just to return to his village of origin which he has not seen in 10 years. He wishes to return there and resume the digging and planting that his family has done for centuries. He spoke of the trauma that everyone in northern Uganda has experienced and lamented that there are so few counselors to hear the stories of those who suffer. He asked if I would be willing to set up a trauma counseling center in the camps. I wanted to promise him that I would return to do counseling there, but I know that I am already stretched thin in Gulu. To our knowledge, Abby and I are the only therapists in Gulu–possibly even in all of northern Uganda. This is overwhelming and also invigorating.

Since so many of my clients and the people I see everyday are from the IDP camps, I now have a greater context of what they are fleeing and also hoping to return to.