A couple of weeks ago, we let you know how our friends behind “The Road” were organizing a fundraising event. Thanks to everyone who went and showed your support for what they’re doing. In return, they have a new trailer up to show you what’s in store for their film.
(Events from December 21-27)
A Military Response: While President Museveni’s new dedication to resolving this war is encouraging (*Remember, Museveni has given the LRA a deadline of January 31 to come to a peace deal), his threat of military action has some worried. A senior analyst with the Africa Policy Institute has reported that Museveni has recently been in talks with neighboring countries in Africa’s Great Lakes region (consisting of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) about forcefully responding to armed groups in the region. With the Great Lakes region warming to the idea of armed responses to rebel groups, Museveni is feeling more confident about his military solution to the conflict. But Uganda’s past history shows that fighting only brings more fighting, and the people in the North worry that ultimatums and strict deadlines may only undermine the efforts of the peace process. People are asking, why resolve on a military response when the Juba peace talks are showing so many signs of progress? To read more about Museveni’s actions, go here.
The Situation of the Displaced: According to the UN humanitarian report for November, only 4% of IDPs in the Acholi region have returned home. Most of those that remain say they won’t leave until the peace agreement is final. While the prospect of peace is higher than it’s ever been, those in the Acholi reason are wary of believing anything until a final resolution is signed. Peace has been on their doorstep too many times in the past to only be taken away. Concerns for the people remain to be security, lack of good education and medical facilities, increasing levels of crime, lack of police presence, gender-based violence, etc.
Christmas in Acholiland: Over the holiday season, the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) have heightened security in the war-affected regions. Last week the Chairman of Gulu’s Local District Council Walter Ochora reported that Joseph Kony was preparing new attacks. And while Ochora’s sources have not been verified, the UPDF has been put on high alert until intelligence reports prove otherwise. Read more about heightened security during the Christmas season here.
LRA Raids Catholic Mission in Congo: After nearly two years of living in Congolese territory without attacking, on December 16 LRA rebels attacked the town of Duru near the border of Sudan robbing a local mission and hospital and temporarily taking an Italian priest hostage. Though no one was killed, the attack sent thousands of the local population fleeing and has caused deep unrest in the community. The unexpected attack comes just after peacekeepers and government officials have put new pressure on the rebels. With the looting of supplies and medicine, this raid could potentially mean that the rebels are preparing for another offensive and getting ready for war. So what does this mean for the peace talks? Unfortunately with the death of Vincent Otti, the LRA’s former second in command, the chances of coming to a peaceful resolution have grown smaller. Otti was one of the main liaisons between the government and the LRA and definitely had a stronger desire for peace than Kony. And while this doesn’t necessarily mean the peace talks will fail, Kony has already accused President Museveni of jeopardizing the process, which will make peaceful resolution an uphill battle. To read more about these important developments, go here.
So it’s Friday. The 21st. The it’s-the-last-day-I-have-to-be-in-the-office- before-I-get-to-go-on-Christmas-break-yayyyyyyyyy day.
So since we might be going post-less for a brief bit over the holidays, we wanted to leave you with a little bit of love from the IC family.
Our philosophy is pretty well known. A lot of littles make one big. It’s the everyday heroes that matter. You can make a difference.
And as we say these things, we hope you’re listening. We hope you know we’re not just blowing smoke. We’re not just talking to talk. We believe in these philosophies. We have faith in people. We know individuals are the roots of change. And we know that because of people like Guadalupe Salazar and Nye Beamer.
We don’t like to brag. Normally. But sometimes its necessary. Sometimes you all are just so absurdly amazing that we’re forced to ramble on at length about your said awesomeness.
So we were thumbing through our blog the other day and realized something. Something extremely important. If you’ve been trying to follow the progression of the peace talks on our site at all, you probably have the feeling we’ve been sort of schizophrenic – jumping from thought to thought, person to person. There’s so much going on that it’s completely crazy to try and understand what’s actually happening. It’s like sifting through chaos.
We’re not goodbye people. Joining the IC family is like signing up for a lifetime membership. No matter where you go or what you do, you’re always a special part of this group. But even knowing this and the truth of this doesn’t really make saying adios any easier. You still have to watch people get into their car all crammed with cardboard boxes and drive away.
We recently had to do this. Not only once, but twice. Our dear, dear friends Jenna and Ashley recently had to depart the IC offices for their homelands: Nebraska and Florida. And while they’re headed off to wrap up their school and do some pretty amazing things, we’re still going to miss having their precious faces and personalities around the offices – not mention their amazing skills.
And while many of you haven’t had the pleasure of knowing these two ladies personally, we wanted to thank them publicly for their many man hours and dear friendships. They are as stellar as stellar gets, and we will miss them dearly. (more…)
Many people outside the world of development might not know exactly what a job in logistics entails, but if you ask Lapola Mercy, IC’s Logistics Officer in Gulu, she will tell you that it involves acquiring, purchasing, coordinating and managing all of an organization’s supplies…and that she stays extremely busy. From transportation to stationary, Mercy’s role at the office is to provide staff with whatever they need to do their job effectively and efficiently. With a staff of 77, you can imagine that her task is monumental.
Mercy’s office sees a constant stream of people and supply boxes. She deals daily with dozens of requests for any number of items, but as one of nine siblings, she knows how to respond to the wants and needs of others and does so with a great deal of patience. Mercy says that she likes her job, and explains that she sees herself as a facilitator between product suppliers and IC, helping the organization get the best items at the best price.
That’s the name of an article currently running in The Darien Times out in Darien, Connecticut about Darien High School’s participation in Schools for Schools. It’s part of the Darien Opinion section.
Speaking of which, if you’re interested in finding out about our National Tour Logistics Coordinator, Lacey Darien, visit IC’s staff page. You can find her under the Movement staff.
