Acen Brittany and I completed the first 16 of 300 interviews with formerly abducted child-mothers and their children. It is now 12:15 AM, May 12th, 2007 in Gulu, Uganda. Yesterday Brittany and I completed the 16 interviews after having previously completed 24 interviews in a separate village called Lacoe. The previous 24 interviews were a part of a pilot survey we conducted in order to smooth out any flaws in the first go around of the survey. We sent back to America our suggestions and concerns to the Tae, the creator of the survey and then waited for an email with the official final version of the survey enabling us to begin the official surveys. We received that email the evening before last, printed it out and made an additional 15 copies of the survey. We called all of the imperative people, our translators and the man in charge of arranging the set up of the girls from the IDP camps, and made arrangements to meet up at 8:15 Friday morning. In order to get the village by 8:45, enabling us to begin surveys by 9:00 am.
Brittany and I could do nothing but laugh a semi nervous laugh as we realized by 8:30 am the following morning, that the chances of a mis-communication regarding correct timing of our meeting each other to take boda boda’s to the village of Layibi, was indeed highly likely. Sure enough, we contacted Francis, our coordinator and throughout the course of a thirty second conversation, came to the conclusion that he had not arranged for our transportation. This was fine, it was not a problem to find our own boda boda, however, this meant that it would be a late start on our day, and potentially that we would not complete the amount of surveys we initially intended to deliver.
After another 30 minutes, Francis, Judith and Kevin (Kevin is a girls name in Uganda – Judith and Kevin are the names of our translators)
(Kevin is on the left, Judith on the right)
all met up with one another and ventured onwards to the village of Layibi. After a “succulent to the senses”, as I put it - 12 minute ride by boda boda through the most beautiful green, lush and dense tropical African countryside, we arrived at a primary school where we would conduct the interviews. Brittany and I arrived before our translators and Francis and found ourselves having paid our boda boda drivers, and being left in the middle of school grounds without an idea of where to go, or who to meet with. We both took a look at each other and decided to venture to what would appear to be an office.
Sure enough, we where greeted by two very kind gentlemen. One was the head schoolmaster and the other was the dean of the school. Brittany and I greeted ourselves as we are, Apiyo Rebekah and Acen (pronounced, ‘Achen’) Brittany, and took a seat on the sofa across from the head schoolmasters’ desk.
We ended up having an hour-long conversation with the schoolmaster and dean before the women even arrived to begin the interviews. By now it was close to 10:30 and we had not even begun the first survey! Oh, us Americans…desiring that things be done in a timely fashion! Indeed it is not the way things happen too often around here!
During our conversation with the schoolmaster and the dean, we learned two very important things. The first important thing being that every Ugandan name has a very specific meaning, such as Ocyia (pronounced ‘Ochia’). This word means ‘this baby was born as a miracle’. The name would be used for example similar to the following, ‘Ocyia Beatrice’. Or for another example, ‘Lawino’, this name literally means, ‘born with complications of the placenta’! The baby came out but the placenta did not – medical emergency. I must say, it was hysterical hearing this from the headmaster of the school - we were all laughing incredibly hysterically!
The second thing that we discussed as we waited for the women to show up was the difference between child soldiers that have returned from the bush who have entered back into their communities and specifically the public schools, and are now integrating with their friend who were never abducted - verses the child soldiers who return and go to specified school just for ex-child soldiers. We did not get to complete this conversation, however, what we did speak about was incredibly interesting.
We learned that the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council has taken it upon themselves to train all of the teachers in the village schools how to handle children that have returned from the bush. When the children return from the bush they can be extremely wild. Having these kids mixed in with kids who have never been in the bush can be quite a challenge, however, thanks to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the teachers have been adequately trained to deal with these children in such as way, that most of them make it well through the reintegration process in the school systems.
The country of Belgium founded a school here in Gulu that accepts up to 800 ex-child soldiers at a time. The children live in boarding school accommodations and are provided an entirely separate school syllabi then the traditional Ugandan public school system. This special school provides counseling and rehabilitation programs specific to the needs of the individual former child-soldier in addition to their education.
The women arrived at this point in our conversation. Brittany and I moved over to the schoolhouse where the formerly abducted child-mothers and their children were awaiting us. We began by introducing ourselves, the survey process followed by setting up our table and chairs under the large branches of mango trees (to remain out of the heat of the hot sun). We each interviewed one woman at a time until we had completed 16 interviews. I worked with Judith as my interpreter and Brittany had Kevin translating for her. It took us on average about 45 minutes to complete each survey. I will discuss the process of the surveys, my feelings and thoughts at a later time, but know in the meantime that this will process will be very beneficial to ChildVoice International in making important decision regarding the selection process of the first 45 girls and their children to enter into the pilot program – a sustainable community created for the rehabilitation of these former child-mothers and their children.
We ended the workday with an ooey gooey slimey mango facial party. It began with Kevin, Judith, Francis, Brittany and I sitting in a circle on chairs in the evening sunshine, surrounding a bucket of freshly picked mangos. As we began to eat these mangos, not one of us was without sticky orange mango juice streaming down our arms and smeared around our lips. The mangos here in Gulu taste to me, like a cross between a mango and a coconut. Absolutely delicious!
In a spirit of silliness and completely just kidding, I suggested that we all have mango facials – schmearing mango peels and pits all over our faces to moisturize our skin. I did not expect to be taken seriously, however, less then 10 seconds later I had mangos smeared all over my face and arms my no one other then my dear one Acen Brittany!
