I felt a hot chill run down my spine as I saw the sick and malnourished children in the Paediatrics ward of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. Even in pain these children smiled at us as we handed over food stuffs and other basic items to them. The pain of the cannulas on their hands did not stop them from stretching out their hands to greet us with so much joy and receive the small items we had.

Many times the caretakers who were largely mothers by the way, blessed us. One of the care takers, a woman to be specific called me aside and prayed for me!. I have not heard a genuine prayer, honest and meaningful as this old lady’s prayer. “A prayer made in faith, can move mountains they say. “

The day that started with General cleaning around the University was crowned with donations to the Hospital. We did this to mark Mbarara University’s 24 years of existence. It was not about dinners and speeches for us – as the students Guild we set out to give back to community. A community that we have watched grow, a community that borders our magnificent university carries with it heavy hearts of people from all walks of life uncertain of how tomorrow will start. It was a rewarding moment for each and everyone of us.

Giving back to community is never a favor it is a responsibility that we all must embrace. Mbarara University of Science and Technology is a growing community, we must always remember the many unfortunate people that go hungry every night, the little children that succumb to malaria and the many pregnant mothers who, for lack of a better choice settle for one meal a day.

If we still can and have strength to, may we learn the practice of giving back to society. Blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that receiveth.

Tonight I will sleep glad that my team and I touched and impacted a little warrior’s heart defeating malaria and kwashiorkor in a hospital where death is closer than life.

The writer is the Guild President Mbarara University of Science and Technology and President East African Community Students Union.

Twitter: @snduhukire

Almost two weeks later I visited the landslide scene with a colleague from the UgandaSpeaks project. We had gone to deliver relief items collected through organizing Ugandans on Twitter via #TweepsHelpBududa to help survivors of the landslides.
We took a van, which was generously availed by Aramex, full of clothes and blankets, basins and other things which Ugandans mostly in Kampala had brought together.

On Friday July 6, Javie Ssozi and I made it to Bududa. We made a call at the district headquarters to register our presence and items. Minutes after, we headed to Bududa on a bumpy non-tarmacked road.

Water from a river partly buried by the moved land. read more about perceptions abt the landslides from the area: http://www.academicjournals.org/ajar/pdf/pdf2011/4%20Jan/Kitutu%20et%20al.pdf

At the site, we met the team from Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and Red Cross. Excavators continued to plough deep into the hilltop in hope of recovering the 4 remaining bodies. It is believed it is a woman and her 3 children still buried deep in the soil. The faces at the site are some of those that cant easily leave your head. A husband watching waiting to see if this will be the day they find his dead children and wife, an elderly woman whose house narrowly escaped – by few inches- the path of the land moving landmass, a young woman who literally ran out of harms way but her young son couldn’t make it.

Survivors come to the Red Cross tent for counseling and treatment where need be and the rest of people sit visibly worried because they know this is not the first or the last they will face this. We made sure we handed over blankets especially to women survivors who have young children. We left the rest for Red Cross and a couple of volunteers to hand over.

Site of the landslide in Bududa

At the site I met with a gentleman from OPM who discussed the issues that many out here have been into since the landslide. He says they cannot forcibly evict or resettle people for there’s no such a law that gives them the powers. He however said many people have expressed willingness to leave the hills and be resettled.

The Chief Administration Officer had earlier informed us of their district resolution on resettlement but insisted the people wanted to be resettled within the same district. I spoke to one of the survivors about the calls to leave their home. She told me, yes they did know there was a crack in the hill for sometime but there weren’t many options for resettlement. She insists even those who were taken to Kiryandongo two years ago have not been given enough support.

Through translator a father tells “the politicians are playing a dangerous game and our MPs are leading in this.” I ask what game and he said “they are afraid if we are resettled elsewhere they will lose their votes and this is not about our survival but their survival in politics.”

He some leaders tell people not to move and in a situation where people don’t see a clear resettlement budget from the government, one can understand why these people risk their lives. But not many Ugandans would understand the dilemma here. Last week I saw results of a Trac Fm poll carried by Sanyu FM where up to 65 percent believe it was okay to think Bududa community members are responsible for the loss of lives due to irresponsible choices of living on slopes of Mount Elgon.
Resettling elsewhere whether it is because of war or a natural disaster is not a one-night decision. Moving away often means loss of land, culture and many other things and sometimes people take a leap of faith and stay on. And every day they hope that maybe, just may be the rains will spare them.

Elderly woman walking down the hill, her house narrowly escaped the landslide.

From the talks we had with residents it is clear that most people would like to move and it is easier choice to make when the memory of loss is still fresh but as many said even the resettlement of the 15 affected house holds may not happen soon. So we once the disaster teams have left and we have given enough support to the families, many of these organisations will pack and leave and the resettlement will not be raised much after that. We will wait to see another disaster and then no one will really come up to take a share of their responsibility in this lack of planning and negligence.

In the face of this disaster, the government announced a plan to relocate more than 400,000 people from the country’s mountainous areas to more suitable land. Like many plans we have seen, most remain in spoken word, usually from a ministerial statement and after all is done we can’t find even a piece of paper where the plan is laid.

In 2010 after the landslide that killed over 300 some of Bududa residents were relocated but whether these people were given more support beyond just a few acres of land am not sure.

Though our efforts of organizing Ugandans online and taking part in helping those in need went well, this can only be the beginning. There has to be continued discussion on environment and resettlement. Most of Uganda’s NGOs are in Kampala where they stay and only make a few trips to these vulnerable communities when donor audits are needed.

The issue of resettling vulnerable people in Uganda’s mountainous regions cannot only be left to those vulnerable, we have to make sure plans announced at such times are followed up and we don’t wait to see another Bududa in order to wake up to the realities of a high population, dwindling resources and climate change.

Thank you all who supported #TWEEPSHELPBUDUDA!

Albert Ahabwe

30th/June/2012

By Albert Ahabwe

Dear tweeps,

I hope you have all been well. I am!

Arrived in Bududa today and spent most of the day at the scene of the slide and went to some of the areas surrounding the scene of the slide. The plan is to be here for about a week, map out the threat area and work with the communities on remedies.

Of course, as you might have seen on TV, the slide was devastating. Thankfully, we have had minimal fatalities, being on the ground, I can tell you that for sure; it could have been worse. You will be able to see from the pics the amount of soil the excavators are dealing with. A hill literally came down and covered a deep valley!!!

The slide thankfully happened on market day and at the perfect time for market business, 2pm, which meant that most people were in the markets and not at home. Also, the Chairman LC1 had raised an alarm about the crack already and there had been a sub-county team to inspect that morning. So people had considerably moved away.

Even then, 8 people are confirmed dead: 5 adults & 3 children (2 of whom were discovered today). The search for the 6 continues; the odds not withstanding. And by that I mean the soil is so much, more like a mountain of its own…but we’ll keep at it.

The numbers:

• 15 households were buried
• 8 people confirmed dead
• 41 households directly affected
• 56 neighboring the scene of the slide (have scattered cracks therein)
• Total households at immediate risk are 97
• There were 117 survivors
• 11 were admitted, all released now
• 9 neighboring villages are at risk as well, some have these cracks too…
• In total, 496 households are at general risk and those have a population of about 4,215 people.

As you know, there some items here already from OPM, Red Cross, World Vision, St. Kizito, UNICEF…etc. But i can assure you that whatever you bring will be a fortune. To paint the picture clearly, the district had just 1million UgShs in their account when the disaster struck. Yeah!

There is a school sitting just at the top of the area where the slide started from and it faces the highest of risks should there be anymore movement of the ground. Bumarakha Primary School has over 400 pupils, and its heavy population of course puts more pressure on the already weak hill top. We had a meeting with the District Disaster Mgt Committee (DDMC) today and there might be a decision to close it.

I would suggest that you guys pay particular attention to these kids as they would have to be relocated to neighboring areas to access school.

For the lack of a camp area or place to move the affected households, the survivors have been asked to share homes of their relatives or now or place in some foster homes arrangement till there’s a complete spread of sufficient shelter provisions or a relocation plan is done.

I have attached some photos and a ka small video for you guys. I hope they can help in the efforts to sensitize our target audience on the weight of these people’s plight.

Oh, and these guys have been battling cholera since Feb 2012. Imagine, as if that wasn’t enough ish they were going thru already. It does pour people, whenever it rains!!!

I’ve heard you guys are doing a great job, keep at it, humanity is an invaluable cause always. It could be me, you or a dear one in this some day.

Bless you,

Albert Ahabwe
@tragicanon

#TweepsHelpBududa; Ugandans act  for Ugandan victims of landslides.

On June 25 four villages in Bududa in eastern Uganda, were buried by landslides killing dozens and leaving  hundreds homeless.

This was the third major landslide in three years. In March 2010 over 300 people killed. So far 20 bodies  have been recovered while about 100 people are still unaccounted for – believed to be buried underground. Many were rescued but more than 4,215 people have been displaced.

FACTS:

Using social media, Ugandans shared information about the landslide and updates on the lives lost and rescued as Uganda Red Cross provided first hand information to the country. Ugandans on twitter decided that sharing information about a tragedy on the slopes on Mt. Elgon was not enough as many reports came indicating families left homeless were still waiting for relief.

Ugandans on twitter came up with #TWEEPSHELPBUDUDA to rally support from Ugandans online to support in any way efforts of other agencies to bring food, clothing and other relief items to the affected people in Bududa.

On the evening of June 27, a tweetup – a meeting organized via twitter, was held at Endiro  Coffee shop where many transformed their online discussion into offline ideas on how to organize and deliver help as fast as possible.

At the meeting Shs 707,000 was collected in cash and 250,000UGX was in pledges. TweepsHelpBududa also got support of Shs. 500,000 from Uganda Medical Plant Growers Ltd.  A Mobile Money account  was opened to speed up the collection of the funds.  A webpage will be hosted on UgandaSpeaks to provide information on the situation and needs to keep especially Ugandans in diaspora who have shown willingness to help up to date.

The meeting decided on collection points for items like clothes, shoes. The Hub Kampala (Kamwokya) and Sports View Hotel Kireka is one of the collection points.

It was agreed that #TweepsHelpBududa collections would be handed over to Uganda Red Cross, which has been the most visible in these tough times in Bududa.

For matters of accountability the group behind the campaign has setup Google Docs to keep donations and pledges in the open:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Av760COvRCKRdFhhZXZEX1FmQWxpQ3JNcTJ4TF85QXc#gid=0

There is also an online form to register donations: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dFNEOG9idGJCUnBsdGZndnFUUFV0SFE6MQ#edit

Why he chose to bring Uganda into his game remains a mystery but on twitter #UgandaisnotSpain we tried to send out a message.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-text-of-rajoys-text-message-to-guindos-201…

Also see tweets from hashtag #UgandaIsNotSpain:

But many have criticised the campaign for ignoring voices from people on the ground.

A group of Ugandan bloggers and filmmakers, working under the collective “Uganda Speaks”, have now released their own film online looking at the LRA and its impact from their perspective – a move that aims to bring local voices to the debate.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb reports from northern Uganda.

After work, people were already waiting for the event to start. When the time for the screening was drawing nearer, Pece Stadium was literally filling with people and the line outside was ridiculous. Everyone came: men, women, youth, children… and people traveled from far away to see the film. I was talking to a UPDF (Uganda People’s Defense Force) commander at Golden Gate Hotel before the event started and although he wasn’t going to go, he thought it would be a good event for the government so that even if people were not in Gulu or in the North during the insurgency, they would see what was happening before and be able to compare it to the peace that the government has brought today. He also thought it would make it easier for the government to get assistance from other countries because they would “know what was really happening”. Because of the reactions to the screening in Lira a few weeks ago, some people were worried that the crowd might become violent or rowdy.

Once we had finally made it into the stadium, we knew that this event was a big deal. Apparently, the screening was sponsored by NUMEC, the Nortehrn Uganda Media Club. The emcees were some announcers from Mega FM and they had gathered several local artists to perform before and after the film. Most performers chose to sing songs about ceasing fire, peace, or thanking Invisible Children for their work in the North. The event also included a pretty vulgar comedy performance that seemed to have the sole purpose of appeasing the crowd.

Finally, Jolly Okot, the country director of Invisible Children in Uganda, came to the stage to speak and introduce the film. The screen they chose to play the film on was much smaller than anyone had expected, so I’m not sure how most people there could even see what was going on. But when the film started, it was clear that it was not what people had expected.

In the beginning people were receptive and found Jason Russell’s son humorous. When it reached a point that mentioned Kony’s “expiration date” in 2012, the crowd cheered and was still very positive. That is until people began leaving within the first 10 minutes after a short montage of victims missing ears, lips, and noses was shown. As they walked past us, some were saying that “This is too painful. They shouldn’t have shown this.” But at this point, most people were sticking around to see the rest of the film. From all of the hype, debates, and criticisms that have flooded the radio waves and newspapers, people were expecting to get a chance to see Kony and his troops. They wanted to see the acts of violence, more recent footage of Kony, and maybe locations of the LRA now. It was only when images like that appeared that the crowd was silent. At all other points, people shook their heads saying this was a waste of their time.

Last night was the first time I had seen the film too, and even though I couldn’t understand the narration in Luo, I don’t think I needed to. To be honest my impression was that this is a film about America. Not about Uganda. The vast majority of the footage is of college kids and politicians in America talking about their moral imperative to “Stop Kony”. Then came the footage of Jason Russell’s family, and finally a small portion of the footage was from Invisible Children’s trips ten years ago. There was no “action” like people were expecting, unless you count a bunch of Americans jumping in the air and holding signs that they were “Changing the History of Humanity” by wearing bracelets.

The most striking thing to me about the whole event last night was its insignificance. It was literally laughable how small this film was compared to so many of the expectations people had of this worldwide phenomenon. The film has no effect whatsoever on the lives of residents in Gulu. As more people left, some women walked by us and said “Look! Even this muzungu is shocked that this is what the film is!” All of the footage of Americans was considered to be “commercials” from the real film that people thought they were going to see—the real film that had anything to do with their lives.

When Kony 2012 Part I ended, LC 5 Chairman Mapenduzi attempted to speak to the crowd, but with little avail. He tried to get everyone to clap for the work of Invisible Children, but people only laughed in between the messages for lost children and stolen shoes. When he announced that they would also be playing Kony 2012 Part II, all anyone wanted was for the musicians to come back on stage. At this point, I would say that one third of the crowd had left. And more began to stream out when Part II began to play. And while that film had more “relevant” footage, it was already too late for anyone to really pay attention to Jolly Okot’s pleads for the children to come home or to the bullet points in the “multifaceted approach” that would stop Kony.

We left immedately after the 2nd film, but I have heard that people started throwing stones on the stage and shouting at the musicians, so everyone started fighting and it turned to chaos with multiple gun shots and some rioting. The streets were apparently flooded with soldiers after that.

A million other people have already analyzed every second of this film and every dollar that Invisible Children has made or invested in their work. I like to believe that no matter how atrocious, harmful, or simply ignorant a person’s actions are, in their mind and for their goals, it makes sense and they are doing what they feel is “right”. My analysis is coming late, but my biggest problem with the film is that it doesn’t do anything to actually educate the well-meaning youth it is targeting. It doesn’t ask anyone to go read a book or even do a Wikipedia search for Joseph Kony. The only options it gives to the youth of America are to donate, donate, donate (and sign a pledge to “Cover the Night”… cover it with what? Dollars? Bracelets?).

All in all, Gulu town’s reaction to the film was that it was simply a waste of their time. The most challenging part of the whole evening was trying to squeeze out of Pece Stadium with hundreds of other people trying to fit in the same small exit that we were. Gulu has not changed because of Kony 2012. People still went out after the film to celebrate Friday night. They still have to put food on the table, they still have to pay school fees for their kids, and they still have to continue to try and forget the atrocities that changed their lives. As I have said before, Kony is no longer the problem in Northern Uganda. New problems resulting from much more than a single rebel group have emerged in the years since peace returned: land conflicts, Nodding disease, unemployment, inflation, corruption, HIV/AIDS, overpopulation, alcoholism, domestic violence… The list goes on and on but that doesn’t mean that Uganda needs “our help” or that it needs “saving”. There are dozens of local NGOs that are engaged in truly innovative grassroots programs working to rebuild and to empower their communities to bounce back from whatever they may have experienced.

The most entertaining and fitting reaction that I overheard was from a man walking in the crowd back to the center of town: “That was a waste of my time. I should have just stayed home to reproduce with my wife”.

By Kristina Lai - http://insearchofsolidarity.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/gulus-reactions-to-a-kony-2012-screening-in-acholi/

The ‘Kony2012’ documentary film was put online on March 5 by the US-based organisation Invisible Children. Within days, the film helped raise $5 million for the organisation, and within a week attracted 70m viewers worldwide. Although the film shows the acute suffering of LRA victims, especially children, what remains invisible are wounds of a society years afterthe LRA left. The real story for after Kony2012 is told in the recent film The Governance Gap – which demonstrates that stopping Kony does not put an end to the suffering of the people of Northern Uganda.

The Governance Gap demonstrates the enduring – often invisible – legacy of the LRA war through the story of Nighty, a 44 year old Acholi woman. As Nighty demonstrates, The Acholi developed a ‘survival mindset’ to cope with decades of violence from both the LRA and the Ugandan military. Food and safety became the priority, as opposed to the processes of day-to-day governance.

The conflict undermined the capacity of the Acholi to act effectively as Ugandan citizens and decreased their confidence to re-engage in post-war democratic processes. Having lived in a militarised environment, people are still reluctant to raise issues they perceive to be sensitive. Moreover, they have little experience in dealing with a developmental state. For years, all they asked for was security – now that they have it, many won’t ask for more. This undermines the ‘demand side’ of governance and means that Acholi lack experience in actively engaging in the reconstruction of their region and in decision-making. Nor are they actively invited to participate.

It also shows the gap in how Acholi perceive themselves within Uganda – ‘We are like slaves being brought into Uganda,’ Nighty says. Acholi feel like second-class citizens within the Ugandan state, and current post-war reconstruction efforts do not sufficiently target these feelings.

Existing post-conflict recovery efforts by the government and international donors focus on ‘hardware’ – rebuilding physical infrastructure and services. This is important. As a consequence of the war, poverty in the Acholi region is far worse than in the rest of the country, and is clearly visible. What is less visible is how the past experiences of war and life in the camps have persisted into the present. Interventions should therefore also focus on the ‘software’ – building citizens’ capacity to re-engage in decision-making and democratic processes. And as The Governance Gapshows, reconstruction should include a process of national reconciliation in which the state acknowledges the atrocities committed by the military as well as its failure to end the war. Until now, citizens have had few opportunities to make their voices heard in the reconstruction process.

A campaign film such as ‘Kony2012’ may not be expected to provide the detailed nuance of a story as told by The Governance Gap. What it did, was remind the world of a ‘forgotten conflict’ where injustice had been done to thousands of people since the late 1980s (and don’t forget, not just by the LRA but also by the Ugandan government, and as some would argue, by failing humanitarian actors). And true, Kony and his LRA continue to cause suffering. Every victim is one too many. They need to be stopped. They also need to be brought to justice, whether through the International Criminal Court or local forms of justice that seem more culturally accepted and appropriate.

If Kony is captured this would solve a forgotten conflict, but not its aftermath. Since Kony left Uganda five years ago both the tangible and invisible consequences are still very real. And deserve as much attention as capturing Kony.

Marjoke Oosterom is a PhD candidate in the Participation, Power and Social Change Team at the Institute of Development Studies. She works on citizenship and participation in (post)conflict settings. The film The Governance Gap is based on her PhD research in the LRA affected areas of Northern Uganda, where she spent a year in a rural village just 10km from the border with South Sudan. For More insights from her research see: http://www.hivos.nl/eng/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Communities/Post-Conflict-Participation/Blog

The KONY2012 video was released a couple of weeks ago by Invisible Children. This video is one of the many examples which continue to spread the single sided story of Uganda/ Ugandans – as one thing: voiceless and helpless. The video raised a lot of criticism both locally and internationally. It is against this background that we (at UgandaSpeaks) have decided to empower fellow Ugandans to harness the power of social media to tell their own stories.