Opobos's story
(as narrated by Opobo)
The conflict started in 1985 when the
LRA overtook the government regime. At that time, many of government
regime forces (UNLA under Okello) fled the Ugandan army and were
running into north passing into Sudan. These ex soldiers of the
former regime (Okello) stayed briefly under arms support from
sudanese government and then returned to war on (fight) the present
government forces (still under Okello), calling themselves civil
rebels. They were beaten from the border and attacked by the Ugandan
army and then many scattered amongst the villages in north, esp of
Palabek region. Later, they regrouped under leadership of Kony,
calling themselves the LRA (the Lord's Resistance Army). The LRA
started provoking villagers and wanted some food so they raided
homesteads taking food by force and taking animals to feed their
rebels. They started abducting very yound kids and youth. They even
started abducting girls and boys in the schools to build their force.
People were not supporting the LRA and tried to refused, but they
were forced to join. When you refused you were killed. A good many
children were killed because they refused. They also raped women and
young girls. They and cut off arms, ears, lips etc. When they asked
if you will like to go with them and you said "No", they
then asked if you would like long sleaves or short sleeves? If you
said short sleeves they would hack off your upper arm, if long
sleeves they would cut off the hand at the wrist. When captured,
they peirced the lips and put padlocks through, so the person could
not talk. They cut off ears if the person did not listen to them. Or
cut off their lips so cannot talk. Other times, they would cut off
legs from knees so cannot walk and die there. When they come and you
refuse, they may decide to kill you right then and there with big
pangas. They started cutting from the head in crossways, leaving you
there for dead or open you up from the chest, or put fire under a
table and tie you on it so it would smoke you and burn you in the
fire. If you refuse they gather all of you in a hut, lock it and set
the hut on fire. Wide massacres. So, you see, they would kill you
in different styles. About 1988 or 1989 they came to my place
(Opobo'sWitty's in Lairobe, Gem Palabek). Opobo was very successful,
had big land, many cattle and several sons. One son, 25 years old
Edward, was captured and later he learned they killed him at the
border of Sudan. Another, Odong Silvesto, ( born 1962) was killed
there and and then in front of me as the LRA chopped him on the
head. Banya Jackson, 30 years old, was killed there and then same
way. The 4th was Kamaketch Richard, 28 years old, and the
LRA again, killed him there and then because he refused to go with
them. They also killed many other neighbors. My 5th son,
Omot, was also killed the same day in the same way right in front of
me. When that happened, I was so sad and afraid, I had to move away
to protect the rest of my family. After that I moved to Kitgum and
things worsened. The LRA rebels were attacking Kitgum and the night
commuter children were swarming Kitgum looking for shelter. It was
very bad. I called, Mama Richard, Sarah Angoma who put me through
school when I was growing up, and she was in Jinja so I moved with my
family to Jinja. Opopo came to Jinja first in 1992, then heard of
Mama Sarah's land near Masindi and went to survey the farm, found it
was good land and settled on the farm and began to clear some part of
it for farming. Opobo became sick thinking of the issues in the north
and of his family. He developed stress and hypertension. There was
no hospital near the farm. The thought of the children of the lost
sons in palabek, he was unable to gather them all and help them all.
He was unable to feed the children orphans, as he was very sick.
Some of relatives took some of them and uncles took some of them.
Other girls (granddaughters) got married. Other boys (grandsons) are
now in, S1 and helped by my other son and the uncles. When war was
ending in 2007, I went b ack to try to settle them and stayed for a
few years trying to re start some farming, digging in the dirt. No
cows were left, the land was overgrown. I then got sick again after
a few years and came here, to the farm and that is when you got me
here, when I could barely walk. You helped me and I am very
grateful..so so grateful. Thank you so very much and tell all of the rest at home...thank you!
I met Opobo for the first time in 2006,
when our mission team from Calvary Chapel through Far Reaching
Ministries travelled to Northern Uganda and subsequently, visited the
farm near Masindi. By that time, Richard Angoma (whom I met while
volunteering with AOET) in 2003, had visited the farm where many
other friends of his parents and refugees had come to the farm, a
safe haven, as they fled the war and IDP camps. He too wanted to
further the empowerment and recovery process of the war and was also
interested in farming. She he moved from Jinja also and started
Family Empowerment Uganda on Canaan Farm. At that time there was
only muddy pond water to drink, many were sick. The women prayed for
pots to boil their water in and blankets to keep their children warm.
I remember Opobo was the farm manager and his face was framed by
beautiful sunflowers while he was standing in the field working.
Richard, had only asked for help with gum boots for workers in the
fields. They plowed with oxen and plows the land little by little
the farm began to form. Suzan, the nurse volunteering at AOET also
began helping on her days off, bringing medicine to treat people.
We held a village clinic in 2006, where it rained and rained and many
women and children came very sick. We learned of the water situation
and new that if the people did not have clean water they could easily
die and all the medicine we dropped on them for two weeks of our team
being there would not help at all. In 2007, Hope 2 One Life was
formed and first clean water implemented with two boreholes and bio
sand water filters.
Tom Osborne and his wife, Angie came on
a trip in 2008 and Tom has been our hydrologist and board member ever
since. Obobo was not on the farm at that time, many of the women and
boys captured told their stories. In, 2011 when Opobo came back to
the farm, very sick and barely able to walk, we did a home – hut
visit on him with Brenda and then treated him and he improved. He
always talked of the great need in Palabek also for water. So when
Opobo told me of his story and the great need for clean water in his
region, we finally visited with a team in 2012. They visited the
muddy stream their only water source. The area was a complete bush
and very remote. Families had eeked out something of a subsistence
living by digging in the ground around their huts and planting what
little they could. There were no NGO;s around, no ex pats, no
missionary organizations. They were isolated and alone, however had
lovely spirit and faith. We were deeply moved by the children as
they sang. Messages of hope abounded within us.
The next task was to convince Tom of
this great need and hope, thus the site for our next water project.
This was not easy as weighing the distance, spreading the
organization too thin...etc came up. So with the Kampla village well
and Tom's trip to Uganda to oversee this well, we had barely time to
travel to Kitgum and Palabek to view the site. Tom, was sold!
Hearing the story and standing on the very sites the LRA tramped and
murdered people brought an amazing energy field. Almost like a
vortex or draw that calls one to do something to help. The feeling
was indescribable and palpable. Tom, did his coordinates and we
started the long process of planning that would include lots of
fundraising and potential grant writing, as Tom also felt the call to
develop a solar water system as well, if possible.
We had great moments of joy celebrating
the clean water in Kampala village, with dancing singing and
christening of the water all over us as we praised God. I posted
this video on facebook and showed it at world water day and it
moved..the earth...so to speak ...or at least some people's hearts.
As donations came in, and a wonderful generous gift from one of Tom's
classmates and good friends from his hometown past. In just 6 months
we had the funds to explore the hydrology survey and plans for deep
water well and potential solar system. It usually take us 3 years to
raise enough for a simple borehole. Praise God!
So, with Angie present, we shared the
good news with Opobo, and we all cried and he stood with his arms in
the air, thanking God with tears in his eyes. A dream come true that
he will live to see in his lifetime...joy and redemption after so
much trauma and brutal death.....
May we all count our blessings and the
cost. For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, to
die for our sins...
Nadine
More to come as the site visit and
hydrology survey unfolds..
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