CAFOD and partners bring new hope to Uganda

CAFOD's Director Chris Bain will be travelling to Gulu in Northern Uganda next week with Bishop John Arnold from Westminster Diocese. They will see the work of CAFOD's partner - Caritas Gulu, who has been supporting the people of the region to re-start their lives after more than 20 years of conflict.

Chris Bain said: "This conflict has left people with nothing. There is a lot of work ahead of us dealing with the severe psychological trauma as a result of the senseless brutality that many, especially women and children have suffered.

"As efforts are underway to re-start the negotiations for the final stage of the Peace Agreement, it is crucial that all channels of dialogue remain open, as a military solution to the conflict is not the answer to peace in the region."

Bishop John Arnold said: "The Catholic Church has been an important player in working to bring peace and protection to the people of Gulu. The Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama, helped set up an Inter-Faith Council with Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Muslim faith leaders, working as an inter-faith group to promote peace against the odds."

The conflict in Northern Uganda has continued for over twenty years between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda, during which time more than 26,000 people have been abducted. At one time it was estimated that 95 per cent of the population had fled their homes. Many tell stories of unimaginable brutality and cruelty, especially those abducted to be child soldiers and women and young girls as sex slaves.

With the peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA inching towards a final deal, people feel encouraged to start farming and rebuilding their communities. However, they are also worried that without a final peace agreement the LRA could return at anytime, so smaller more organised settlements have been set up close to their farm lands, so they can start farming and be self-sufficient once again and not rely on food aid.

Said Bain: "CAFOD is playing a part in that confidence-building, working together with Caritas Gulu to provide communities with agricultural skills training, and providing seeds and tools.

"We are also funding the training of priests and nuns as well as lay people in trauma counselling. This is a vital part of the work as counselling is not only for the victims of this conflict but also for the communities, who need to understand the trauma that people have gone through, so that they can once again live amongst their communities and begin to live in peace."