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| Esther is now 12-years-old and happy to go to school. Photo: Mai Gad |
It is an early March morning in the Teso region in northeastern Uganda. Along the tarmac road people from the small villages are on their way to the nearest big town Soroti, where duties of the day are calling. Women and men carry big bunches of firewood and grass on their head. The rainy season has just begun, and the long period of drought caused many grass roofs to burn, so families now have to prepare for the rain to come.
Men on bikes carry their ladies in colorful dresses. The women are seated in elegant feminine positions with both legs to one side. Children with jericans run along the road on their way to fetch water. A few men stand in the small lakes with water to their waist, hoping that the fish will end in exactly their wooden fishing net this morning.
Yellow mangoes hang low on the big mango tree next to the grey iron sheeted house in Obalanga parish. A beautiful smiling lady in a red floral dress welcomes me to the house.
The red tarmac around the house is wiped and clean and surrounded by fields of cassava. The morning is quiet, except for the sound of an oxen grassing and some chickens near the house.
Peacefully resettled
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| Esther and her family in front of the house DanChurchAid has helped them build. Photo: Mai Gad |
We are in the home of Esther Ajego and her family. After having spent many years in a camp for internally displaced people escaping from the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), Esther and her family are now peacefully resettled in their home.
“It was difficult in the beginning, but we are feeling better now, we feel safe here” Betty, Esther’s sister explains as she lifts her baby up to her chest to feet him.
With the support of the Danish TV-Campaign broadcasted in 2009 DanChurchAid and partners have supported 5000 households to resettle back to their villages in the Teso region after many years in camps for internally displaced people. In 2009 and 2010 some of the families received assistance to build houses. All families have received materials and seeds to cultivate their land, such as citrus trees, mangoes, cassava, g-nuts and cowpeas. The families have also received assistance in form of oxes and ox-ploughs, enabling them to prepare the fields for the harvest.
The last part of the support from DCA and partners in 2011 is focused on motivating and ensuring that all families have adopted the methods and techniques they have supported in, and that they are prepared for the challenges that may come in their future lives.
Changing weather conditions
The families are happy to be home in their villages, but the families in Obalanga have been challenged with the changing weather conditions in the area. “This drought has been extremely long and many of our crops have died” Betty explains.
Esther’s brother Lawrence, has not gone to school today. “Yesterday when I was playing with my friends some boys stole my books”, he explains.
“My father has gone to town to try to find money to buy new ones”, he says. But Susan, Esther’s step mum explains that the father Lawrence is facing challenges since he used to do business-slaughtering pigs, but had to put it on stand by, because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. “Now Esther’s father Lawrence have started to go hunting with Alchabap”, she explains and points to the small dog sunbathing next to the kitchen hut. “He wants to catch wild rabbits, squirrels or other wild animals, but haven’t had any luck yet” she says.
The family is trying their best to get money for food. “We have started fishing”, Betty explains and lifts up the big wooden fishing net that looks like a big basket for firewood.
Susan adds: “We also make local alcohol” she says and points to a bunch of small brown cereal crops lying in the middle of the courtyard, they look like small sprouts. “It is Millets, and from this bunch we can make 15 cups. It gives us 8000 Uganda shilling (approx. 4 dollar)” Susan explains.
Back to school
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| Esther and her class mates. Photo: Mai Gad |
For many children the life in refugee camps for internal displaced people meant that they didn’t go to school. But among the resettled families kids are now back in school. This is also the case for Esther, so as Susan and Betty begin to prepare greens for lunch I say goodbye in time to hopefully find Esther at school during her lunch break.
It is midday and in between the showers the sun is burning. Children’s laughter fills the air around Obalanga. It is playing time at Obalanga Primary School.
Kids are playing “fast up” (A person in the middle is supposed to catch a ball thrown between 2 other people). In between two big trees a beautiful girl in a green top looks up. She has the same welcoming eyes as Betty and smiles, though she looks a little bit shy.
Esther is now 12 years old. “I was playing with my cousin Adjajo” she smiles as she wipes of fthe sweat droplet on her chin. “I am happy to live in Obalanga Esther explains, and I am happy to go to this school”, she says. “Last week I was sick with malaria, but my father went to town to buy some tablets for me” Esther explains. She looks healthy now.
“When I grow up I want to be a nurse. I want to treat people” Esther says and smiles.
By Mai Gad, Intern at DanChurchAid Uganda