Peacebuilding in Yambio, Sudan

On Thursday September 2^nd we were sitting in the middle of our bi-monthly general office meeting at ARLPI when my programme coordinator leans over and whispers to me, “are you ok with going to Sudan next week?” It quickly became clear that the follow-up conference to Dungu (June 2010) and Kisangani (February 2010) conferences was about to start and as not enough ARLPI religious leaders where able to go, they had decided to send me. The purpose of the conference is for religious leaders to come together from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Uganda to construct a peace building strategy and position. We would be leaving Monday morning.

Then came the quick scramble to get together a visa application including passport photos. Seeing as I don't work Fridays Geoffrey, our driver, came to pick up my passport early Friday morning to be taken to the Sudan consulate here in Gulu, and I didn't see it again until an hour before we left. As usual I had to get out a map to figure out exactly where Yambio, Sudan is, at which point I realized that Yambio was right in the centre of the current LRA occupied areas of Sudan on the board with the DRC and CAR. Hum... No one seemed to think there were any real security issues and so I followed their instincts. Although I was flying by the seat of my pants I knew I was being offered a great opportunity.

At five Sheik Musa Khalil (ARLPI's Muslim representative and the head of the Muslim community here in Gulu), myself, Geoffrey (ARLPI's driver) and one of project officers left in the ARPLI truck for Arua where we would stay for night before flying out the next morning. We arrived at 9:30pm in Arua, dropped off Sheik at his friend’s house, at which point the argument about where I should stay began. The two guys wanted to put me in a nicer hotel where I would be comfortable and safe, I on the other hand didn't want to be left alone in a new city. We ended up compromising by finding two hotels next to each other, one which was clean and had a self contained room and the other which was a disaster but cheap. You can guess who took which one.

In the morning we rose and left for the airstrip. About an hour after the scheduled departure time our chartered flight arrived. The Sheik and I boarded the small 15 passenger plane and off we went down the dirt runway. For the hour and fifteen minute flight we flew over the dense equitoria forest of the DRC and Sudan, it quickly became obvious to me how easy it would be to hide and sustain a rebel force in such a landscape. While we got an exit stamp in Arua, when we arrived in Yambio we simply walked off the plane and into the waiting car that took us to the Catholic conference centre, no security or immigration. The centre itself was a very simple but comfortable environment, after some time I was given a room that included a bed with a decent holeless net (not something to downplay the importance of), a folding chair and a bathroom. There was no running water so it was sponge baths and bucket flushing for the week. The conference staff were very friendly and accommodating. I went in search of a conference program and Sudanese phone-card in order to communicate to those back home. Upon looking through the schedule I quickly realized that we would not be returning home on Thursday, in fact it would be no earlier than Saturday. My first thought: at least I have enough malaria pills with me, underwear are washable.

Tuesday we were taken on a bus tour through Yambio, a town smaller then Gulu, but definitely an urban centre. We stopped briefly to speak with a group of internally displaced persons (IDPs) that had fled only two days before from LRA attacks about four miles out of town. That was the first time that the fact that I was now in an ongoing violent conflict context hit me, something that was evidenced again and again through out the week. On our return some of the religious leaders brought the IDP group a big sack of millet flour. An appropriate gesture I thought as it seemed wrong to be having a conference on how to handle the LRA situation with IDPs starving practically on our door step. Wednesday through Friday were the core days of the conference which were spent in a lot of dialogue, debate, and group discussion. Saturday morning we were driven to the airstrip at which point we still didn't know where the plane was dropping us off. I arrived home at 12:00 midnight after taking a car, plane, bus, boda, and collective taxi. I arrived home exhausted, sick, and feeling about ten years wiser in the world of peacebuilding and so so grateful that I'd made the trip.

My role in the conference quickly multiplied from that of doing documentation work for ARLPI and supporting the Sheik. It quickly became evident that my organizational and documentation skills would most likely come in handy. I quickly got pulled in to work closely with the funders from Pax Christi and CRS in tasks like producing the summary for the following day from the previous day, and writing the declaration and implementation plan which was a new and interesting experience for me.

I choose not to speak up in the general assembly meetings as I didn't think it was appropriate, but in the smaller group discussions I found my voice and opinions were often welcome since there were only two of us representing Uganda and ARLPI. ARLPI is perceived as the most experienced group and is truly sought after for its advice. On the one hand I'm tentative about speaking on behalf of an organization I've only worked with for three months, on the other hand I feel like they have so much experience it has to be passed on and as the documentation officer it's my role. I also found that my experience and knowledge of different conflict contexts came in handy. A particularly area of interest is the area of community protection from a non-violent standpoint. They had never heard of groups like the Non-Violent Peace Force or CPT and although those groups may never come or might not find the context appropriate for their work or simply might not have the resources, and they can't prevent deaths from occurring, they definitely won't come if not invited. I tried hard to invite them to think creatively about solutions, seeing as they were very stuck on supporting community defense units.

I remember one of my professors being very skeptical (though he did say he was growing less so) about the amount of influence a civil society group could have during the height of a conflict in terms of moving track 1 negotiations forward. In the Ugandan context I’m completely convinced that civil society is the only reason that negotiations moved forward in 2005/2006. The peace process had very little to do with the UN or foreign governments initially, though they played key roles through out the talks. It was fascinating for me to be part of a process from which new negotiations may or may not be a fruit. The conference concluded that negotiations are the most preferable option in reaching for sustainable peace. This means that many of the actions included in the implementation plan are aimed at initiating negotiations. I’ve gone from the classroom where we were following news clippings and trying to guess at which stage of the negotiations track Israel/Palestine were on, to being in the middle of an active group trying desperately to figure out how to move forward. This week I was faced head on the challenge that a crisis conflict reality brings. From the first day it looked like it might be almost impossible to get 35 religious leaders to agree on a pathway forward, never mind convincing the government representatives, UNMIN representatives, SPLA representatives and others of our position and that was just during one week! Now they have the great challenge of going out and convincing four governments (five if you count the US) to cooperate on a particular pathway. It’s easy to see how a “ripe moment” could easily be passed by in the multiplicity of voices. Yet, if all voices are not listened to and included in the conversation there is a much smaller likelihood of reaching sustainable peace. I’m now sure that any peace process, by the time the paper is signed (not even including implementation) at least 10000 people have been involved in some way. I knew through the study of theory and examples that peace processes were complex, but this week just took that complexity to a new level!

I feel honored to have participated in the week and am currently enjoying seeing implementation steps slowly being taken forward.

Murchison/Kabalega Falls National Park

Brent, Andrew, Geraldine and myself spent two days in Murchison Falls National Park. Nothing went as planned, but we forgot all of that when we toured the park.  It was an amazing place.  Here are some pictures of the park.  Jason  

BOSCO Uganda

While I am here in Northern Uganda I have been volunteering for BOSCO Uganda. BOSCO stands for Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach. It is a young organization started on the premise that communication through the internet in rural Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps can help in peace building and development here in Northern Uganda. There is a feeling of isolation in the IDP camps and BOSCO wants to "break the silence."

When BOSCO begins training trainers in the communities they have to start from the basics. To many people here, a computer is a "mystery box," but after training they see it as a communication tool. For the community it is cheaper than cell phones and because of the internet there are many other advantages, such as online newspapers, wikipedia, google search and social networking.

Right now the amount of computers does not meet the demand so BOSCO is hoping to expand. While I am there I am helping to develop and implement a Monitoring and Evaluation system, extend the training manual and help with the training of trainers. It is exciting to be a part of a young and growing organization that opens up the world of possibilities in the rural areas. You can visit boscouganda.com for more information.

School District Song and Dance Competition

The first weekend I was here Niki, Karin and myself hopped on the back of three boda boda's and headed to a nearby school. At the school was a yearly primary school song and dance competition.

"Boda" or "boda boda" is the Acholi word for motorcycle or motorcycle taxi. Aside from walking, it is our most common mode of transportation here in Gulu. There is no seat back on these motorbikes, nor do we wear helmets (even though the driver does when the police are near). In North America we often hold on to the person in front of us; here, that is inappropriate. My initial fear was of falling backwards, but after a few rides I realized that the drivers are fairly reliable. To go to town from our place on a boda boda it costs 1,000 Ugandan Shillings, which is equivalent to about 50 cents US.

The primary school song and dance competition was a great cultural introduction for me. We saw both a classical choir performance and then a traditional song and dance performance. For the first part, the district choirs came and sang the same song about East Africa. According to Karin it was the most organized activity she had seen in Gulu so far. The spectators, not including ourselves, were very well dressed including some of the young children who wore full suits. The primary school performers were of many different ages. Niki figured that many of the students were unable to attend school during the war and are now trying to catch up.

The traditional dance followed a pattern but told different stories. The dance always began with a problem. The problem usually had to do with drinking or stealing and a broken relationship. Through a process the conflict was solved and at the end of the dance the music became very lively and then there would be ululation to show that everyone was happy again. The songs were sung in Acholi and we had to ask afterwards what happened.

Images of settling in Gulu

This is the day after we arrived in Kampala. Oola (in the middle) is our classmate from Gulu. He met us briefly in Kampala before heading to his placement in South Africa. We were reluctant to let him go after such a short visit. He was a fabulous guide, taking us around Kampala to collect some necessities (cell phones and Ugandan shillings).

This is on the bus ride up to Gulu. The most exciting part of the trip was coming across a group of around 30 monkeys all over the road...of course the driver didn't slow down at all.

This is the evening we arrived to find our house completely empty, including no electricity. This is the electrician out trying to hook up our house at around 9:00pm. Our headlamps came in handy.

We now have electricity probably around 2/3s of the time. By the time we get home in the evening and begin dinner it's often getting dark out. When the electricity is out in the evening this is what we look like cooking. It's a one burner gas stove in the middle of our kitchen floor. Karin is cooking using our kerosene lantern in this photo.

This is part of the left over of what used to be an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp not far from Gulu. Most people have either chosen or been forced to return to their lands at this point. Currently land is one of the most contentious issues here in Northern Uganda.

"Nonprofit is a tax status, not a business plan"

"Nonprofit is a tax status, not a business plan." (Board Relations) This is what I appreciated during the first month of my Master's degree at the Mendoza College of Business; an emphasis on effective business practice. For our professors it was critical that we learn how to succeed in a competitive business environment so that we can better fulfill our mission. We learned how to address problems in society by utilizing business research and skill sets.

It was a privilege to learn from both fellow students and professors. On our last day of classes I was blown away by the presentations made in class and I wish someone had recorded them. Every day I learned something new about my classmates and as time went on I became more and more impressed by everyone's accomplishments and skills. It was an intense month and many of us were separated from family, but we developed new friendships in the process.

On Tuesday I leave for Uganda. I look forward to meeting Niki at the airport on Wednesday. It is strange to think that this will be the fourth country we lived in during our first five years of marriage.

At home in Gulu

Hello from Gulu, Uganda! This land of red soil and bustling life will be my home now until Dec. 16. I’m on my field experience period as a part of my Masters Degree at Notre Dame in International Peace Studies. Having completed one year of classroom study this is the perfect time to get a chance to participate in ongoing peace work and reflect on how it conflicts and agrees with the theories we’ve been studying. We spend four days a week working with an organization and the last day working on our own research. Three of my classmates are here with me: Karin from the US who is working with Human Rights Focus, Christina from Germany who is working for Caritas, and Ahmad from Iraq who is working for TASO. My other classmates have been spread throughout the world in Cape Town, South Africa, Jerusalem and Mindinao, Philippines. A few have remained in the US to work on a Thesis.

I arrived in Kampala on June 29th after a very long almost 48 hours of travel. I’m now very well reacquainted with both the Heathrow and Amsterdam airports. Karin and Christina met me in Amsterdam so that we could travel the rest of the way together. We spent a day and a half in Kampala before jumping on the “post bus” for Gulu. The most exciting part of the six hour ride was coming across a whole group of monkeys (we think Baboons) on the road.

We arrived safely to a few surprises. The house the university rented for us is beautiful. However we were surprised to find it completely empty! The landlord managed to get beds, including mosquito nets in it before night fall. We were outside with our headlamps that first night helping the electricians hook up the electricity to the house. Slowly slowly we’ve been making it feel like home. Everything we bring home has to come on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi). We are a half hour walk outside of downtown Gulu and so our surroundings feel truly rural.
For those need a quick reminder on the conflict of Northern Uganda here’s a very quick one, for those who know the conflict feel free to skip this paragraph. Note that this is very very simplified version and the actors and issues are far more complex. Uganda gained its independence in 1962 after being an English Protectorate. Many know of the horrible period of Idi Amin. However, here in the North the most recent conflict began when the current President, Musevini, took over power. Around the same period Joseph Kony start the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). There is a long history of economic and resource disparity between the north and south of Uganda, they are also made up of different ethnic groups and difference traditional governance structures. For the last 20 years the people of Northern Uganda have experience atrocities from both government and the LRA. At one point the government forced the whole population into IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps, which also became an easy target for the LRA. Internationally the LRA is known for their wide usage of child soldiers through abduction, which resulted in the phenomena of night commuters, children coming in and of town every night. In 2006 the LRA and the Government finally agreed to sit down for peace talks. In 2008 when the final comprehensive agreement was completed and ready for signing Kony walked away from the table. Musevini again responded with military force. Currently the LRA is active in the DRC and the Central African Republic, but not here in Northern Uganda. The government has forcefully dismantled the IDP camps and many ex-LRA soldiers are working at reintegration after receiving amnesty. It is currently a society struggling to rebuild after been devastated by a multi-decade conflict that may or may not be done.

I’m working with the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), particularly with documentation and research. Feel free to browse their website: http://www.arlpi.org/ I’m very excited to be with them as they are one of the few groups who works both at the grassroots and at the political level. I’ll write more about their work and my work with them as I begin the work more in depth.

Overall life is slower here. Everything is just a little bit harder to do. This morning we washed our clothes in the tub. The people are lovely and very helpful. We’ve been making great fools of ourselves as we move through the market testing out our Acholi, the local language. Many people understand English, but are delighted when you give Acholi a try.

I believe this update is long enough for now. I’ll write again soon.

Peace be with you.

Looking Ahead

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted something on the blog and I've been inspired to write again, after all it seems like Niki and I continue to have significant detours in our life.

A lot has happened since October 30th that will determine the next year for Niki and I. For one, after having some time to reflect, and a bit of luck getting in, I have decided to take on a Master's in Nonprofit Administration here at Notre Dame http://business.nd.edu/mna/. The program is part in-class part correspondence which works out nicely, but more about that later. For the summer I have four weeks of in-class intensive courses and in the fall and winter I can take between one and three courses by correspondence and the electives may be in-class through a related program if I choose. Then the following summer I have additional in-class work and before I graduate I need to complete a project which I can't start until I have most of my coursework done. The program is set up to allow people to stay in their jobs if they wish and can be done in as little as 14 months or up to 5 years always coming back for the summer. I will try to complete it closer to the 14 months so that Niki and I can be done at roughly the same time. Courses are taught by Notre Dame's business faculty which is exciting and I expect the coursework will be equally exciting. I have already begun to study for the summer as I will have to have a lot of my reading done before classes begin as I will have tests on the first day.

In the fall Niki and I will undergo another move (which is why part correspondence works out nicely), this time to a village, country and continent neither of us has ever been to, Gulu, Uganda.

I can't tell you much about Uganda yet other than a few basics. We will be able to get by with English in Gulu but there will also be a tribal language spoken called Acholi. The temperature doesn't change much all year and stays in the high twenties and there will be a lot of local tropical fruit available. I envision myself sitting outside a cafe reading my textbooks while drinking some fresh mango juice and then taking a study break to go play soccer with a small group of people, but I can only speculate at this point. Niki will be working with a group called Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative http://www.arlpi.org/ which as I understand it is a group of religious leaders from various religious backgrounds working together for peace. Northern Uganda has recently stabilized after the long-term LRA conflict and if you are interested in learning about it Niki recommends the following as a short link for a brief history of the area http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/northern-uganda/index.php I guess I envision her work to be slightly more stressful than mine, but she will enjoy it. We will be living with a few other Kroc students who will be doing similar peace-related work in the area. We will be there until mid-December after which we plan to spend a month traveling with family to Kenya and Tanzania.

There is only one month left before we leave our apartment here on campus. We will be making a trip to Canada to see family and friends and at the end of June Niki will fly to Uganda whereas I will come back to Notre Dame to begin classes and then fly from Chicago to Uganda.

This semester has been busy for both of us. Niki is engulfed in her studies and I have balanced my time mostly volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages through an Internship and working part time here on campus.

So our year ahead will be transformative for sure and hopefully prepare us for whatever comes next.