|  | | ||
| ||||
Day 4 - Palabek
For years Opobo Witty asked me if I would visit his village in Palabek. He and his daughter had come for VHT (village health worker/team) trainings on the farm). He was farm manager at one time and I will never forget his large frame and big bright smile coming between the sunflowers the first time I met him in 2006. But the war took its toll on his family. Remote Palabek toward Sudan was ripe territory for the LRA, who massacred entire villages, abducted children and forced them to become child soldiers, mutilated many others. One day, the rebels came to Opobos land and killed 4 of his sons right in front of him when they refused to be taken and abducted the other one never to be found again. Often the rebels will ask "do you want short sleeves or long sleeves? And depending on the reply will hack the arm above or below the elbow to get the people to do what they want. They sliced lips and ears off, padlocked lips and so much more torture. Unimaginable pain and suffering. When opobo saw what we were doing to help those on the farm who fled the war and atrocious internally displaced persons camps set up to supposedly protect the people from the LRA, he asked if we could do something to help in palabek. He had orphaned grandchildren suffering. There was only a muddy stream for water, the land was a large bush overgrown. All
of his cows had been taken. When the war was over and people moved back to their land with just sticks available to dig in the dirt - well
It was overwhelming - but little by little they struggled to survive and I farm again. To make a better life...for their children to go to school.... As I travel this raid again it brings back the memories. I walked the land for hours when we were looking for water drilling sites, eerie surreal and overpowering feeling as these were the killing grounds. There was a weighty heaviness to the air,
Like a fog....Shake it off now! We have arrived. Here come the children! Oh how I love to hear them sing and dance! So so welcoming and beautiful! The air lightens and springs into beat, the villagers gather. Let's hear what they have to tell me. This is the fun part! I love to hear what how things moved on after we were here last ....the struggles, challenges, the good, the successes, the joys, the sorrows and of course the needs. Our philosophy is one where we only go where invited and we come along side to assist, train and provide some things they may need to sustain themselves while treating all with dignity respect and children of God. After all, we are all children of God, not that much different really. And they are all human beings to, living and breathing and loving. Wow, They have been busy this last year with harvesting and farming. There were some challenges with the seeds they wanted to wait to plant them when rainy season was supposed to start in March, however that was some months to store them and vermits got to much of it. The sim sim doesn't grow well on this ground so they traveled to find better ground and planted there. The drought also affected their yield as the rains came late. However, the first harvest of peas using drip irrigation was bountiful! The next harvest - a neighbors cow got past the thorn fence and ate and destroyed most of it. Still they persist and are hopeful, encouraged and have learned some things that will help next time. In fact they kept saying, "We will do better next time". We had provided cows plow and seeds for start up. A quarter acre drip irrigation bucket kit, mosquito nets and blankets. Small minor things in the big realm, but very important to them and the gratitude was palpable. And look at that squash! And beet! These were from the Hope Seeds donation! Love
It! They will make a proposal and time line for next season. Already they have started 3 acres of cotton and garden cleared for sunflower. Plans for a produce storage underway. They have since formed a community group called "God's Gift Farmers Group" of 60 members with plans of working together and also collectively supporting some widows, orphans, the elderly and those with HIV. Music to my soul! Next up are the VHT's Thanks to Mariel and Bosco and Terence who did training of VHT's in January! Our small intro to Village health teachings of hygiene, hand washing, sanitation, diarrheal disease and malaria prevention/treatment was just the beginning and inspired our good friend Mariel, (who was an intern with me a while back and helped design the VHT Manuel), to train further. I can't wait to hear all about it! As they come up one by one.....oh my God, there is 9...count them 9 VHT's trained from 9 surrounding villages of 200 - 300 households each! Music to my soul! Thank you, thank you Mariel! They had done all of the above teachings and came up with creative ways to access groups of people, such as when they are gathered for campaigns or burials. They have taught them all to dig pit latrines and rubbish pits and now entire villages have them! Many came for the prior malaria teachings and recieved mosquito nets but many that didn't come still do not have. They are learning the prevention is much less costly than the treatment! Yeah! We need more mosquito nets, I can see. Marvelous, just marvelous. A little
goes a long long way! They also reported great improvement from diarrheal disease since we drilled the two boreholes, and taught handwashing. The "where there is no doctor" Pig Story always makes a big impact as we depict how whole families can get diarrhea! We typically line them all up and de worm the whole village as well. The VHT's would like de wormer and malaria medications on hand as well as other supplies. One young VHT says that people don't want to listen to her as much because she is so young so she gathers children and teaches the children! The future generation! Way to go, I applaud and encourage her! Mariel plans to teach more in October and a big team is coming to meet and teach in January! They have proven themselves, time for me to step it up! Next up is the water board. They over see and maintain the boreholes. When we install deep water wells there is a lot of responsibility the community must hold in order for us to do this. We train them and have a lot of discussion initially. Follow up water testing, making sure the pump is working, no rubbish around, the drainage pit is covered, the fence is protective etc. There is one loose bearing on the Moroto west borehole and the pump is wobbly. I asked the water board their plan. They had collected some money to buy the bearings, and their is a technician who can be paid to fix it, however our transducer is in it and they were told and warned not to touch the borehole. This is a transducer that was donated by solonist and Tom had placed so he can do some tracking and studies in various locations where we have drilled boreholes and study the water tables. So now I feel terrible it went this long! We had already brought the bearing and the tools to fix it and the wonderful guys got to that, downloaded the transducer info to sent to Tom and all was good. The water board offered to pay for the bearing, I suggested we split the cost 50/50. Broad broad smiles!! The part was $13. Of course I can obviously pay the whole thing...but these are life lessons and responsibilities they are all learning. It does no good to give it all away no matter how little the cost. I think you all get what I mean. If only I could teach my kids that haha! Raising up people who feel they are entitled to be given things and not work for it creates a mess of a world as we know. - okay it is getting late, everyone ready to head back? Come along....oh but one last person wishes to speak. A quiet humble man comes forward. Denis translates for me. "We have been so divided amongst ourselves. Jealously. Angry with or neighbors over this and that. Since you have come we see the good in working together. You have unified us. Now we look forward to doing these projects together. We have hope. We are a community. You will see a change. We are so grateful. Thank you". Okay, now I am ready to bawl. It is NOT me I always tell them. So so many people pray for them at home and help out with donations, volunteer, serve etc. I am so grateful to all of you ... For coming along...carrying me along. I am simply the messenger. God is good, all the time. God is love.
No comments:
Post a Comment