Uganda
Uganda suffered for two decades from continuous fighting between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and government troops. The cruel terror tactics of the LRA during those years left families torn and people traumatised. The war has displaced approximately 1.9 million people divided over two regions.
Challenges
Since the peace negotiations, stability has largely been restored in the country, and increasing numbers of refugees and displaced persons are returning. Negotiations have broken down again, however, and the Ugandan, South Sudanese and Congolese armed forces are now carrying out attacks on the base of the LRA. Many NGOs are leaving Uganda, and emergency relief is no longer available. Major challenges await the Ugandans. They have to rebuild their country from ruins and create a future for their families. Victims and perpetrators will moreover need to find ways of coexisting peacefully.
Pader
ZOA had been active among Sudanese refugees in the West Nile region since 1999. This programme is now concluded. In September 2007 ZOA started working in North Uganda’s Pader district. In this area 90% of the inhabitants was displaced. ZOA has decided to work specifically in this area, primarily because fewer relief efforts are in progress here, and because the infrastructure here is inferior to that in the rest of Uganda.
In 2008 the Uganda programme took shape. In the first year that ZOA was present in Pader, major progress was achieved in helping displaced persons rebuild their lives.
Community rehabilitation
In the fragile situation in North Uganda, victims and perpetrators of the violence alike need to have safety and confidence restored. ZOA is focusing on community rehabilitation. Education, food security and water and sanitation are the top priorities. In 2008 ZOA also explored opportunities for providing occupational training and helping people start up small businesses.
ZOA aims to assist the returnees in improving their agricultural production and revitalizing the agricultural supply chain for seeds and agricultural tools. Together with the communities priorities are set for the coming planting and harvest season and activities planned. Most of the schools for primary education have been burnt down or destroyed completely which leaves an urgent need to rebuilt. ZOA is involved in restoring the school structures and provides for training of the teachers and parents to manage the schools.
Walk4Water 2008
The funds, raised through the Walk4Water event in the Netherlands in2008, have been allocated to the ZOA programme in Pader, Uganda. Save water is still out of reach for most of the people in Pader. TheWalk4Water funds will be used for the drilling or repairing of boreholes and for new latrines (for more information, check out www.walk4water.nl).
Directly to
Apeldoorn
