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8Lolepo LotimoGuardian of SecurityIam a cattle keeper. My parents are also cattlekeepers. When I was young I thought I wouldremain a cattle keeper, but the animals starteddisappearing bit by bit. When that happened,I joined the raids, but the government camewhen we were on a raid. They arrested us, beatus and took our guns. I decided to leave thatlife and I started cutting firewood for the trucksto come and buy. I get money from that to sustainmyself. I don’t only rely on that - I sometimesdig murram, but I get more money fromfirewood. When a big lorry comes I can get even100,000 shillings, so I do that if I can.I still have cows but I don’t have many likebefore. I don’t want to sell them so I am diggingmurram and collecting firewood to buy thingsand to join with my friends to buy more cattle.Akongo Mary LilyGuardian of the PurposeIlost my father in 1989 and my mother in 2000,just as I finished Primary 7 at Kangole Girls’Primary School. I struggled to join Senior 1 in2001 with the support of one Sister Rosaria. Shepromised to sponsor me up to Senior 4 providingI join tailoring school after that. But this wasnot my dream. I wanted to finish Senior 6 and joinuniversity.When I finished Senior 4 I looked for someoneto sponsor me up to Senior 6. Luckily I gotFather Rene Brozzord who, seeing my goodresults, agreed to support me if I paid for thetransport to and from school. I was so pleased.I went to St Paul’s college in Mbale, a missionaryschool, which I liked very much. I borrowedmoney from my aunt and started a businessmaking doughnuts to save money for transport.I passed the Senior 6 exams well but had no-oneto support my university studies. I told my situationto a friend who gave me her father’s contact.She said he might recommend me for the StateHouse Scholarship, as he had done for otherneedy Karimojong students with good results.He told me to write to His Excellency for the StateHouse scholarship explaining my situation. Healso told me to travel to Kampala to meet him.I was lucky and got a positive response. I joinedthe Uganda Christian University for a degree insocial work and social administration in 2008. Igraduated on 1st July 2011.Emai JoyceThis is a true life story of a Karimojong childin north eastern Uganda. Read it yourselfand don’t let another person narrate it to you.I am born from an uneducated family. My parentsdecided to take me to a missionary sistercalled Sister Lucia and ask for sponsorship. Sheaccepted, but she died when I reached Primary6 and the children she was sponsoring were delegatedto a nun called Sister Rosaria, who tookcare of me up to Senior 4. My mother earns aliving from brewing local beer (ekwete). In holidaysI work with her in brewing in order to getsomething for survival and school requirements.In 2005 I completed Senior 4 and I went back toSister Rosaria to request sponsorship for Senior5 and 6, but she suggested I go for a course I hadnot dreamt of. I went home disappointed. In thenight, I thought of a friend whose dad was anMP. I went to see the MP in Kampala. I showedhim my results and explained my situation. Hepromised to pay my fees upto Senior 6. Whenresults from Senior 6 came, I went to the priest
in my parish and he promised to sponsor methrough university. Life on campus was differentand challenging. I did not have enough money. Istarted making liquid soap and jewellery to sellto other students. That is how I managed.Just before the start of the second semester ofthe second year I met Sister Rosaria and sheasked how I went to university. I told her the parishwas sponsoring me. Then when I went to thepriest to get money for the new semester, he surprisedme saying he had no money and I shouldgo to Sister Rosaria since she is the one sponsoringstudents. He suggested I return the next day.When I returned I found the sister with him. Shesaid, since I refused their original decision, theydon’t have big amounts of money for universitystudents. This situation was like a driver offeringsomeone a lift and then orderingthem out on approaching alonely and risky place. It was a difficult moment.I did not want to talk to anyone, but my mothertold my uncle what had happened. He visited meand found me crying. He agreed to lend me themoney to complete my studies.That is how I attained my BA in the Institute ofEthics and Development Studies at Uganda MartyrsUniversity. I wish to work with communitydevelopment now. This research has helpedshape my career as a development advocate.Logwee John BoscoTeam ElderIwas born in 1968 in Kwamong Village, RupaSub-county. I went to primary school in 1976.After my father died of cholera, my mothercould not manage all that was needed for meat school. In 1987 I was in Senior 2. I camehome for the holidays to find life in the villagehad changed. All the families that were poorhad acquired riches (cattle) and many weredoing business. All the youth in our village andaround had engaged themselves in raiding Tesoand Acholi and had acquired the cows withoutresistance. Some had got involved in goldmining and others in cattle and skin trade toKenya. Only our family remained in a bad state.The boys and girls in the village laughed at meand called me a coward who cannot defend hisfamily. They considered school a waste of time.The next morning I woke up, went to our smallvegetable garden, uprooted some greenvegetables and followed those who were going tothe gold mine. On reaching Nakabaat, my sisterand her husband welcomed me and in the morningtook me to dig some gold sand and told me tocarry water. In seven days I had some gold, whichI went to sell at Lokiriama, the Kenya border. I gotsome Kenyan currency and bought some items tosell in Moroto.The next day I learnt that some traders of Acholiwere going to buy cows and skins from Matanyand Nyakwae. I asked my mother to ask if I couldjoin them. They accepted. They bought cows andI bought skins because my money was little andthen I sold them at Lokiriama. I continued with thisbusiness. My money increased so I began to buygold. I bought a weighing scale and I completelyforgot about school. I got married, produced children.Later I decided to go back and continue withschool and I am now pursuing Bachelor’s degreein Democracy and Development Studies at theUganda Martyrs University.9
Page 3 and 4: We are a team of 13 Karimojong rese
Page 5 and 6: 1In that way even this research has
Page 7: and sold it on. But this business o
Page 11: When I was interviewing,I askedAgan
Page 14 and 15: 14THE FINDINGS
Page 16 and 17: 16“When we had cattle, we had a l
Page 19 and 20: The murram sites are communal, but
Page 21 and 22: The men in the picture below used t
Page 23 and 24: This old man is showing the youth w
Page 25 and 26: We also talked to Arukol Margaret a
Page 27 and 28: Here are three stories from Murulin
Page 29 and 30: Aleper Martha told us about how she
Page 31 and 32: We then travelled to Lokopo - anoth
Page 33 and 34: This man had these marks made on hi
Page 35 and 36: We found most people in Lokitelaa K
Page 37 and 38: The women are building this village
Page 39 and 40: The lame man was a challenge to the
Page 41 and 42: The people mining at Lotongirdig su
Page 43 and 44: When a person only has a stick he c
Page 45 and 46: When we analysed all the storiesand
Page 47 and 48: IDS_Master LogoThis book was put to

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