Brilliance is Everywhere; Opportunity is Not
(From the January - March 2021 issue of VOX)
“What if that had been me? I don’t think I could have had her bravery or her brilliance. I am in awe of the woman she has become... she is the strongest, most resilient person I have ever met.”
In a nation devastated by violence and inequality, northern Uganda was already impoverished when Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rose to prominence in the 1990s under the leadership of Joseph Kony. The LRA became increasingly violent in Gulu and surrounding communities, recruiting child soldiers and making them commit atrocious crimes.
This brutal conflict lasted 22 years and is considered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. It left thousands dead and displaced more than two million civilians. Most disturbingly, minors made up almost 90% of the LRA’s soldiers. Many boys were abducted and turned into child soldiers while young girls were forced into slavery as “wives” to Kony and his men. It is estimated that the LRA abducted more than 25,000 children for forced conscription and sexual exploitation.
The young people of Gulu and its surrounding area are a generation who missed out on education and any sort of normal life. These former child soldiers are now young adults; many of them still suffering from the trauma of their childhood.
“This is a redemption story,” says Alex Gason of Irish development charity Fields of Life. “We believe that brilliance is all around us, there is potential within everyone, and we aim to provide opportunities to unlock that potential. Fields of Life is in the final stages of constructing a Vocational Training Institute in Gulu, Northern Uganda, the most ambitious project we have ever undertaken and doors will be open to students in February this year!”
“The heart of this project is to change lives and build hope by giving young people the skills and knowledge to earn a living, to care for themselves and their families. We are creating a student-centred environment with excellent teaching, pastoral care, trauma counselling and mentoring.”
Bishop Johnson Gakumba of the Diocese of Northern Uganda (DNU), explains, “The war left behind a devastated community. This is why we have been dreaming and strategising to see how we can help transform these young people. New skills are key. We think that the vocational institute will help in equipping our young people.”
Fields of Life’s Vocational Training Institute will provide training in:
Tailoring, Fashion and Design
Hair and Beauty
Hospitality and Catering
Building and Construction
Carpentry
The institute will also train the students in ICT and the business skills they need to build their businesses.
“They will live a life worth living and a life that transforms our society.”
Council Member Douglas Peter Okao adds, “Young people need employment and something that can help them get an income. We hope that vocational skills will enable them to become employable. But we also hope they will be able to start their own businesses that will provide a permanent income and create jobs for others. They will live a life worth living and a life that transforms our society.”
Meeting Judith
Fields of Life Development Officer Naomi Campbell is based in Northern Ireland. The reality of inequality was brought home to Naomi in 2019 when she visited northern Uganda and met Judith, a young woman who is exactly the same age. The encounter left an indelible mark on Naomi’s life.
“As I walked into the compound, this young woman ran towards me. My hair fascinated her; it was so different to her own. She ran her hands through my hair and was so excited about the opportunity to plait it. So I sat down on a little plastic chair. As she began to plait my hair, she started to tell me her story.
“Judith had never been to school. She grew up in Gulu, the epicentre of the brutal conflict. When Judith was seven years old her mum went out to get food and never returned. She had been caught up in an ambush. Tragically just a few months later, her father got sick and died.
“At eight years old, Judith was in charge of three younger siblings. When she was 12, she encountered a man who told her he would look after them and provide for them. But he was a rebel and instead he abused her. When she became pregnant, he abandoned her. No child should have to go through what she went through.
“At 18, Judith was introduced to a family friend. They fell in love, got married and had two children together. But then one tragic night, the rebels stormed her home and killed her husband in front of her eyes.
“I did not know what to say. I was so shocked. Time after time, Judith had to deal with trauma and tragedy. How could two girls who are the same age experience such different lives just because of where they were born? What if that had been me? I don’t think I could have had her bravery or her brilliance. I am in awe of the woman she has become; she is the strongest, most resilient person I have ever met.
“Judith was given the opportunity to train as a hairdresser at a vocational college. She had such a passion for her work. She was the happiest she had ever been. Recently, I heard the news that Judith has finished her course and has set up her own beauty salon. She is now able to provide for her young children and to send them to school.
“What an exceptional individual to have endured what she has and still have the strength to turn her life around. Judith’s story represents a whole generation of young people who were denied the opportunities we enjoy. Together we can help protect them from exploitation and provide opportunities for lasting transformation in their lives.”
A Way Out of Poverty
For Alex and the team at Fields of Life, the Vocational Training Institute represents a way out of poverty for a group of young men and woman who have suffered in ways we could not even imagine.
This offers hope for their generation and the generations to come, creating a secure future that ensures their children will be able to go to school. “It is about turning what’s messy and broken into something beautiful,” Alex smiles.
The objective is to set up a college that is self-sustaining. However, Fields of Life is acutely aware that it is building a vocational college in an area of extreme poverty. Therefore, to equip a sustainable college takes initial investment that can build the reputation of the college, as well as help those vulnerable students afford their fees. All students will pay something towards their fees, in order that they can take ownership, but a scholarship fund will top up fees so that the college can perform at the highest standard. For students like Judith, the scholarship costs €110 per month for two years. To find out more and discover how you can support the fund, visit www.fieldsoflife.org.
Fields of Life is an international Christian development organisation that has been working in East Africa for the last 27 years. They have constructed and equipped 127 schools, put 50,000 children through education, drilled over 800 boreholes, and provided safe and clean water to over 500,000 people.
