Candle Lit Huts

Apwoyo Pa Gulu! Greetings from Gulu!

Thank you for journeying with us over the past years as our lives have become intertwined with the lives of those of northern Uganda. In many ways we feel like we have stepped right back into the life we left. It has been so much fun introducing Brendan to the places and faces of Gulu. We are walking hte same paths, sitting under the same mango trees, eating in the same huts and visiting the same IDP camps and land. Though some things are the same, there have been some changes for the better. Our friends are now returning to their ancestral land during daylight to farm soil that has laid fallow for 20 years. Though peace talks have flopped, rebels have moved on to Sudan and Congo and are no longer terrorizing Uganda.

We write you now to share our joy, but we also have a story whose complexity has made it difficult to articulate in the past. Because this place has been so beautiful to us, we have wanted to protrect it and not contribute to an already existing stereotype that Africa breeds corruption. We hope to tell you a greater story when we return, but for now, know that the corruption we saw in 2006 has become more extensive. Many of the children we worked with have lost their school sponsorships due to the abuse of power- and money-hungry adults. The children we formerly worked with were child soldiers and orphans. This means that they haul water, make bricks and charcoal to pay for rent, food and school fees. This struggle has led to despair, loss of hope and contemplation of suicide.

Because of your past generosity, four of these children are now able to complete this school year. Thank you! However, the other children we worked with continue to present the same plight, meaning that we know of at least 15 who lack funding. There is an urgent need for some of these to be paid before we leave Gulu next week. Many need school fees now or will be forced to repeat a grade. We have plans to create something more sustainable by beginning our own non-profit. We hope to have it up and running by the time the new school year begins next year. If you are interested in responding to this urgent need, please email us your pledge (in any amount) by October 25th. If you choose to give a sum that will help a child through one term of school, you will be given a photograph and biography that may be used as a Christmas gift.

Apwoyo Matek! Thank you very much!

Abby, Haley, Autumn and Brendan

Notation: One year of secondary boarding school costs $300 US dollars; one term costs $100. For non-boarding school, it is approximately half this amount. However, we believe that boarding school is very important for these vulnerable children, due to the fact that their abuse often takes place at the hands of their caretakers.