Pader ... Where the Wild Things Are ...

Where to begin... First thing's first for all those doubters out there: we're still alive. We came, we saw, we conquered Pader (pronounced pa-dare) and now we're here to tell about it!

We departed Kampala on October 5 crammed in the very back seat of the most bumpy bus ride thus far. We arrived in Lira (the half way point to the northern region) for an overnight pit stop before arranging the military escorts up to Pader the following morning. It was while we were nervously waiting at the UPDF barracks that we both realized the gravity of the journey we were about to embark on. These emotions were compounded by a last minute phone call to the U.S. Embassy in Kampala to let them know of our travel plans. Far from assuaging our fears, the embassy representative nonchalantly told us we were traveling at our own risk, and couldn't supress a side chuckle. Great, we thought. Just great. Although we both had thoughts of calling the whole thing off, we both (thankfully) kept our anxiety attacks to ourselves and before you could say "LRA" we were off zooming down the dusty, pot-hole ridden road, dodging the World Food Program caravans and making sure all of our four escorts were still alert in the bed of the pickup truck. Two completely silent and tense hours later, we both stumbled out of the truck, covered in dust, dazed and confused, and relieved!

Our first impressions of Pader were preoccupied by the intense heat, the blue blue sky, and the thousands of grass thatched huts that made up the Internally Displaced Persons Camp. Due to the insecurity caused by the looting, abductions and random killings by the LRA, 1.8 million northern Ugandans, called Acholis, were forced to leave their large plots of land and resettle in cramped, military-controlled IDP camps. The constant danger of an LRA attack keeps the people hemmed in the parameters of the camp, preventing them from earning any living of their own and dependent on monthly World Food Program rations that are rarely enough for their large families. Pader Town-Council, the county seat of the district and the town we were staying in, is home to 19,500 households, mostly comprised of children orphaned as a result of the war and the worsening health conditions found in the camps. The entire Pader district was carved out only five years ago, and as a result it is highly underdeveloped compared to the other northern districts of Gulu and Kitgum. There were intense LRA attacks on the camp throughout 2002-2003 that forced aid agencies to withdraw; we were pleased to see that the improved security situation in Pader now has encouraged NGOs and aid agencies to return to this forgotten district.

Our home for the next three weeks was a small, snug room with a thick steal door, two wooden beds, bars along the window and a plastic basin for "showering." The outhouses were reminiscent of a Fear Factor meets Survivor hybrid, complete with packs of flies, massive African cockroaches, and a small hole in the ground. You do the math. Let's just say, we got creative and truly believe that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. Since there was no running water, we both got quickly adjusted to "bucket baths," in which we would fill a small basin with water from a 20 liter gerry can and splash it over ourselves in the outdoor, doorless, roofless stalls in an attempt to get clean. Our success in that task remains dubious. Nevertheless, the cold water was always a welcomed treat after the scorching days spent sweating profusely.

The daily living adjustments were quickly forgotten, though as we dove into our work and began to realize the constant struggles that these friendly, resilient people cannot escape from. Working with Friends of Orphans (FRO), a local community-based organization in Pader, and through a translator, we interviewed over 25 children living in Pader Town-Coucil who were either formerly abducted or vulnerable youths. Some of these youths were also a part of FRO's vocational tailoring and carpentry training center. We made frequent trips to a nearby reception center called Christian Counselling Fellowship (CCF) where we were able to observe the recently returned child soldiers draw, debate, sing and dance as a part of the center rehabilitation activities. We also visited one of the local primary schools on several occassions, interviewing many children as well as distributing journals for some of them to record their daily thoughts, feelings, and hardships. We completed ten in-depth interviews, that were documented on film, and documented the children sharing some of their journal entries, which was an intensely touching and emotional experience for us. Hearing their stories of child mothers who had been impregnated by rebels while in the bush, being shot at by UPDF helicopters, severe beatings, and being forced to kill and abduct other children, these children became our heroes. Their one desire seemed to be to continue their education, which is their one opportunity for a more promising life.

In addition to speaking with the children, we wanted to get a more holistic picture of the conflict and its players. Unbelievably, we were granted full access to top government officials, army intelligence officers, traditional chiefs, religious leaders, parents whose children are still fighting in the bush, and various NGOs working in the relief effort. We were also fortunate to attend a Child Protection Unit (CPU) inter-agency meeting organized by UNICEF that really gave us a comprehensive view of the initiatives being carried out by the organizations. Several workshops and seminars occurred during our three week stay in Pader Town-Council, which we able to participate in.

While really trying to make each day count, we found ourselves immersed into the dynamic Acholi culture. It's truly easy to say that the people of Pader really made our experience entirely fulfilling. Since there was only one other "munu" (white person) in the whole town, we were either waved and shouted at as celebrities or looked at as freaks of nature. A couple of the youngsters cried hysterically at the sight of a person with such light skin, thinking we must be ghosts. Our third day in Pader was Uganda's independence day and we celebrated in true Acholi style - with long-winded speeches by governmental officials and lots of vibrant cultural dancing in which everyone participates, young and old. That evening we attended the town club, which was a great surprise to us that people were dancing and laughing. Kaitlyn managed to attract much attention, as she was dancing one of the cultural dances, "Larakaraka" with the Regional District Commissioner. Her picture ended up in the town paper a couple weeks later!

In addition to taking in the cultural dances, we learned some Luo thanks to our gracious hosts and friends (apoyo metak!!!) which have become some of our closest on this trip and whom we miss dearly already. The people in Pader welcomed as us as if we were their sisters and took care of us making sure we had enough to eat and were feeling comfortable and safe. Thankfully, we honestly felt very safe and protected the entire time we were in the North, despite hearing nightly gunshots in the distance - a few times the shots were aimed at random cows that were mistaken for rebels and other times the UPDF had actually shot rebels. A couple days before we were planning on leaving we were greatly saddened by the news of three ambushes by rebels on NGO vehicles making field visits around Pader and Kitgum. One of the ambushes occured a kilometer from the center of Pader Town Council where we were staying. The aid worker that was killed was a friend to many of our friends and the NGO he worked at was directly across the street from where we stayed. The entire three weeks we stayed there, we felt secure the whole time, but these three ambushes within 12 hours of each other (seemingly targeting NGOs specifically) reminded us of the life-threatening sacrifices people make in order to bring aid and development to this war-torn region. It also reminded us that even though the government and military officials kept telling us that the war is dwindling, we honestly believe that the rebels were acting in response to the ICC indictments of Kony and four of his top commanders and plan on continuing their atrocities.

By the light of the candle in our window, we had long nightly discussions about our future plans for work in Pader. It's difficult to think about the theoretical jargon we get in the classroom when we see people struggling to survive on a daily, hourly basis. This whole experience has shed new light on our perceptions of aid agencies, on whose responsibility it is to develop a war-torn region, the role of the government (or lack thereof), the role of civil society organizations and finally, the role that trauma healing plays in the peacebuilding process. We brainstormed many different ideas that we are eager to share with you all, in addition to showing the many, many pictures that we took and video footage we captured. We actually have some digital pictures to share and will try to get those posted on the blog within the next few days.

Although we could share many more details of our three week, life-changing journey, we will save some more of our dramatic adventures for when we return.

Our deepest thanks of gratitude to those that called us while we were in the North, it was truly a life line for us to hear your loving and supportive voices! We hope everyone is doing well. Now that we are back within the reach of a keyboard, please feel free to let the emails start a-flowin!

Love, hugs and kisses,
Christina and Kaitlyn