Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa.pdf - Project Ploughshares

Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa4. Ugandachildren and to attend to their psychological problems. WVUestablished centres for returned children to replace holdingcentres in government army barracks. (We were told that thearmy paraded the rescued children – and adults – during publicrallies for relatives to identify and take them home.) The holdingcentres not only were illegal (Uganda is a signatory to the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child) but came under attackfrom the LRA intent on recapturing “their soldiers”. 12The WVU centres became way stations for children betweenthe bush where the LRA operated and their home communities.The children were given therapy and skills training and therewere sensitisation programmes for their communities of return.World Vision also became a conduit for advocacy for returnedchild soldiers, who spoke in Canada (at the InternationalConference on War-Affected Children held in Winnipeg inSeptember 2000) and at other international forums about theconflict in Uganda.Peacebuilding is not meaningfulon an empty stomach.World Vision staff explained that the Area DevelopmentProgramme (ADP) in Kitgum district began in 1995, fundedthrough child sponsorship, and continues to this day. (An ADPis the primary vehicle through which World Vision facilitatescommunity development; it is a long-term developmentprogramme [usually 10–15 years] implemented across acontiguous geographic area, covering numerous sectors ofintervention.) 13 Since its inception, Kitgum ADP has intervenedin various sectors, including emergency relief; water andsanitation; HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support;education; and support to agricultural production. In Sorotidistrict, the World Vision Uganda-assisted Tubur ADP beganin 2000. It has undertaken interventions in the key areas ofagriculture, health, education and HIV/AIDS. The Tubur ADPwas disrupted and people displaced by LRA activities in 2003.Renewal of ADP activity had to await the beginning of peacetalks in 2006.We now consider the peacebuilding projects in each district.Kitgum districtThe WV peacebuilding project in the Kitgum district (theKitgum Reconciliation and Economic Recovery Project) beganwhen problems arose among the people displaced by violentLRA activities into IDP camps (see Box 4.3.1). In the camps,inter-family and inter-communal conflict arose because thetraditional social structures among the Acholi people haderoded. Children returning from insurgent activities wereblamed for LRA atrocities. There was a need for reconciliationwithin and between communities.The WV peacebuilding project in Kitgum had two phases. Thefirst phase, from 2004–2006, involved several components.A central component focussed on children, many of whomwere born during the period of the insurgency, to inculcate aculture of peace. The activities included competitive “peacedebates” between schools, peace games and peace clubs. Anothercomponent focussed on youth in and out of high school byengaging them in sports, rallies and marches, and speeches forpeace, making use of the United Nations International PeaceDay. The work with youth also included music and dramathat was showcased in communities. In addition, women wereorganised into groups engaged in reconciliation, using songs andtraditional dances for peace. A general peace dialogue was aimedat male leaders. A capacity-building component used traditionalstructures for peace. Traditional cultural leaders and faith-basedleaders were engaged. Local community capacity was builtthrough mediation and training in negotiation skills. Similartraining was also given to lower-level government officials.The second phase of the peacebuilding project was built on thelessons learned from evaluation of the first. A key lesson wasthat “peacebuilding is not meaningful on an empty stomach”,that is, peacebuilding undertaken in very poor communities isnot sustainable. Moreover, the conflicts that arose over access toland became more prominent as improved security encouragedmore people to return to their home communities. Based ona needs analysis, the project’s second phase was consequentlyoriented toward income generation, group interaction andcohesion, and the resolution of land disputes. The project alsoexpanded to cover five sub-counties.12 According to a World Vision Uganda report, Promoting a Culture of Peacewith Partners: Peacebuilding Report 2008, “In March 1995, in collaborationwith the government of Uganda, World Vision opened the Children of WarRehabilitation Centre in Gulu which later expanded to four centres (three inGulu and one in Pader)” (p 13).13 A full definition of an ADP is provided in the Glossary.44