How Precious Life Is

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Rebel members of The Lords Resistance Army had visited this Catholic school for girls many times. They had come for cloths, food, and blankets - took what they wanted but never harmed anyone. One cool night, the nuns and girls were soon to learn there was much different about this visit. This time, the rebels wanted more, much more; they wanted the girls...all 140 of them!

Over the pleas from the nuns, the crying and struggling girls were taken away. One nun, Sister Rachele, would not give up. Sister followed the rebels, constantly pleading for their return. She recounted the times they were warmly welcomed into the school. Her pleas had no effect, the rebels with their human spoils marched on into the Bush. Sister's pursuit continued and she was able to halt the march and offer herself in exchange for the girls. "You are an old woman and a person of God" replied the leader. "first, you are white. If we keep you we can not have pleasure as we can with the girls. If we kill you, God will not look favorably upon us. Either way...we would loose!"

Onward they marched, refusing to quit Sister Rachele followed and plead for the girls. After several more miles, the leader suddenly stopped and approached the nun; "you are a persistent one and either a fool, a brave woman, or both. For you I will make this offer; we will keep the thirty most beautiful girls and you may have the rest." The LRA rebel leader had his men carefully select from the group and released the rest to Sister Rachele. Sister returned to the school with 110 girls, leaving the thirty to what was sure to be a fate of horror and torment.

This is one of hundreds of stories of atrocities and triumph in Uganda. This story was told by Harriet, a young Ugandan woman I met on my first night at the home of my host. Harriet lived at the school and was on a weekend visit with her grandmother when this abduction occurred. Her mother had been killed by a land mine and her father died one year later. The story is recounted in detail in the book: "Aboke Girls" by Els De Temmerman.

Today, Harriet is 32 and has a degree in Business and Administration. She is determined to be a successful restaurant owner and has a brilliant mind. More to come on Harriet, we will sit together for a full conversation upon my return from Gulu.

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Comments

[Daniella]

Wow...
This story gave me chills...what the women from that orphanage who were picked among the "most beautiful" must have gone thru...my imagination won't even let me imagine what happened to them. You are educating me with every story and every picture u post...keep them coming! Love you!!! :)

[john]

LRA
Thats just what those assholes from the LRA have done for years. And I don't understand why after all those years the Ugandan, Sudanese or Congolese Army still have not catched Kony and other officers of the LRA. You need to know that Kony is actualy hiding in Sudan and sometimes Congo. They even have been in the Central African Republic also. When I was in Uganda in 2006/2007 I talked with Ugandan soldiers about Kony and how it is possible that they don't catch him. But all of them kept quiet. As a Belgian warrant officer I can't understand that. And in my opinion its president Museveni himself who don't want to catch Kony. I'm very proud about what Els De Temmerman, who is a Belgian and who works for a Ugandan newspaper, has done for the child soldiers in Northern Uganda.