Uganda is in the rainey season. A part of the East, around Mt. Elgon, has seen torrential rain and great quantities of it. This rain led to mudslides that covered whole villages. Villagers were forced to flee or were evacuated but not before hundreds were barried alive. Peace Corps Volunteers joined forces with the Red Cross and have been working at the disaster site ever since. I spent last week out in Bududa District working at an IDP (Internally Displaced Person's) camp for thousands who were effected by the landslides.
We registered people, giving them an ID card, and did food and non-food distributions. As I live close to the capital, I am not used to village norms. It was a surprise to me to have men register their families with 4 wives and 13 children. It was disheartening to ask them the names and ages of their children and for them to not know.
There are many politics involved in disaster relief and issues galore. More to follow at a later date...
Manda, sorry you had to go out there for disaster relief, I'm glad you got to go and help out. But your pictures are beautiful! I love how Uganda is so diverse geographically. Miss you.
ReplyDelete