God has used water throughout the Bible to deliver people; from Noah on the Ark, to Moses in the basket on the Nile, to the Israelites through the Red Sea. And so it was that I got to see God use water again to deliver a Ugandan woman named Evelin out of imprisonment in an IDP camp in Northern Uganda. IDP camps have been the Ugandan government’s solution to a security issue caused by a rebel army called the LRA. The idea was that by placing the northern population into camps the small Ugandan army could better protect the people from the raids of the LRA. So for over a decade the Acholi people of Northern Uganda have been forced from their land and crammed into these camps.
The LRA have been pushed into the DRC and now the Ugandan government is encouraging the inhabitants of IDP camps to move back to their lands in the surrounding country side. But without accessible clean water it is impossible to start again. Clean water is at the heart of survival and prosperity.
In May of 2009 a new water well was drilled 3 km outside of the Gore IDP camp. The well was made possible by individuals that gave money to the UAPO in memory of Glenn Graham. The well will help provide clean water to hundreds of people in the area, but to one woman named Evelin the well has changed her life.
I spent a day at Evelin’s home and saw first hand how clean water filters down to every aspect of a her life.
Gore IDP camp. This has been Evelin’s home for the past 12 years. Built of mud, dung, straw and wood the huts close proximity to one another make it virtually impossible to prevent the spread of disease from one family to the next.
Inadequate food and poor water conditions in the IDP camps make it impossible to remain healthy both physically and mentally. Hunger and sickness rob hope and make it nearly impossible for the people to see anything positive on the horizon.
The drilling of a new water well brings more than water to the area. It brings the opportunity to start a new life. For many born in the IDP camps this is the first sign of hope they have ever seen in their lives. And for Evelin it will give her the needed basic resource to exist outside the camp.
An all Ugandan crew is an inspiration to the community. They are fed and housed by the community over the 5 five days it takes to drill the bore hole that will become a new water well.
This is Vicky. She helps Evelin gather water in the mornings. The new well is 100 yards from Evelin’s land.
This is Evelin. Three days after the water well was operational she moved out of the IDP camp and back to farm land that belonged to her father. In the day I spent with her she never stopped working. Whether it was taking care of her children, working the land or preparing for future opportunities.
Here Eveline washes the bowls and cups she will use for today’s cooking. She uses clay pots to store clean water so it is on hand at different locations. On nice days Evelin likes to cook and clean outside in the wide open spaces. It is a wonderful contrast to the cramped and overcrowded IDP camp.
With clean water and soap Evelin cleans her son’s injured foot. Without clean water to wash small wounds like this one, infections can start and quickly turn life threatening.
Evelin is a widow and must be healthy in order to provide for her family of two boys.
Good nutrition is vital for Evelin. Without it the anti-viruals she is taking will not work. Again clean water is essential.
Lunchtime inside Evelin’s home. Silver fish stew and sogum.
Sewing baskets that are sold in the United States through the UAPO’s Akola Project. With the extra money she bought the straw in the back ground that she plans to use in building a storage hut for the livestock she hopes to have one day.
Selling wood that she cut from her land. This wood will be used to build new huts for those lucky enough to move back to their land.
Returning home after selling lunch to the local police station.
This clean water well helped Evelin back to her land and begin a new life for herself and her boys. I was amazed by her work ethic and innovation to use different aspect of her land to make money. I imagine she has had years in the camp to dream about what she would do with her land if she ever got back there.
If you are interested in being a apart of helping someone start a new life, below is a list of organizations that bring clean fresh water to people like Evelin.
http://www.bloodwatermission.com/
If you would like to buy one of Evelin’s baskets please visit the Akola project at http://www.akolaproject.org/projects.html
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