On To Gulu

It's been awhile since my last entry. I've been kept busy since departing for Gulu Thursday and the power is often out. Wednesday I saw my girls play in a league game; school is all-year and is in session after a brief two week break. The game was played on an outdoor court at the YMCA and was heavily attended by a respectfull and NON-INTERFERING group of family and friends. No insults, sideline coaching, or berating the officials. It was the first time I enjoyed a sporting competition in a long time. They lost, but the game was hard fought and the coach and team were excited and grateful I took the time to come.

Thursday morning I boarded an old charter bus right out of a movie. The ride was bumpy and went through small villages and trading centers (what we call business districts). We stopped eight times to pick up passengers, packages, and hit the bathroom (a quick dart into the Bush). Whenever we stopped, crowds of villagers would run to the bus selling water, roasted goat on a stick, peanuts, live chickens, and of course roaste banana. We crossed over the mighty Nile and twenty-minutes later we were in Gulu.

TKL coordinater Richard picked me up on his cycle and took me to the hotel. The small dusty town is right out of an old western gold-rush movie, only with Africans. My room has no hot water and it is just big enough to walk around. The TV has cable, but only one channel which is controlled at the front desk. One minute CNN, the next African Magic; non-stop novellas!

There is so much life here, a true Phoenix. Just a very few years ago the LRA roamed the Bush and attacked villages. Now, people are taking control of their lives and slowly moving back home. The people are hard working, family oriented, determined, and grateful for every smile and piece of information they can get. We are only a few Kilometers from the Sudan so there is a little uneasiness about the latest political unrest, but not enough to deter the drive of the people.

There are so many NGOs here and UN trucks and peacekeepers are everywhere. It's very exciting. I can tell you first hand, those late night commercials for Save the Children are legit. STC has made such a positive impact in Gulu from working in the villages and IDP camps to constructing buildings and schools.

Friday Richard picked me up to visit several school TKL is working in and for a personal visit. When Inquirer reporter Carolyn Davis was here, she took a yong girl, Jennifer, back to Philadelphia for reconstructive face surgery; you may have seen her story. Jennifer was burned alive in her home by the LRA and sustained severe injuries. An outpouring of love and donations from Philadelphians helped Jennifer get the required medical treatment. I met Jennifer on our first stop. She finished top of her class last term and is progressing very well. She has missed a lot of school due to illness, mainly advanced malaria. She was charming and delightful and loves school. Carolyn, she said to tell you she loves you and you are the fondest memory of Philly!

We next went to a boarding school for child victims of the war, abductees forced to be soldiers and sex slaves. Young children born in captivity from rapes make up the lower grades. The facility and staff are premium and while there are significant challanges, a lot of growth is taking place. Later in the day, seven girls and eight boys walked six miles to meet me at a playground for their first basketball lesson. After 1.5 hours they had mastered the basics, we will have a 3-on-3 tournament today.

Richard and I next went into an IDP camp, a temporary community for families displaced by the war. There were about 90,000 people there at one time, many have returned to their villages, about 5000 remain because they are still afrain to leave. The conditions are indescribable, but the people fight on and the children are precious; I want to adopt them all!

Today we have soccer until 2:00 and my basketball lesson at 3:30. A large group of young children are coming to watch because the interest is high. I am training several been how to coach and I will be sending dvd's and manuels once I return. So, the Eagles and Phillies are now known in Gulu thanks to my preaching. I even chastized one of the guys for wearing a Mets jersey; there are certain things in life that must be dealt with swiftly. I'm going to send some team apparel later!

Tomorrow I return to Kampala, Monday a meet with some staff from the Uganda Chapter for Corporate Social Responsibility to discuss future collaborations once I obtain support back home. Till then...cheers!

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