Meeting women leaders in Laroo-Pece
An elder demonstrates a traditional instrument, as women sing songs of welcome and spirit.
(Holding a carving of a woman) "You find in Uganda here that the men are actually overworking the women.
They expect a woman to be pregnant,
to have a child on the back,
and some food on the head. While the man does nothing. So we thought this would be a good present for you." (to Dian Harrison -- Family Planning Golden Gate)
We would like to have our own communication center. Where we sit. We discuss issues. We have a proper address. And if it is possible, we have Internet communications.
Our objectives are to promote cultural activities. And income producing activities.
After that, to help with the orphans. Most of these women are widows. Those who are not widows have orphans of their relatives in their home. Each woman here has more than ten people in their home because of the insurgency that has happened here and also HIV that has been in the district. So they are keeping orphans.
And we are counseling also the orphans. Some orphans have become offenders. They do not have proper education. They do not have enough food at home. So you find wrong doers in this district. And so we say, "What should we do with this increase of child offenders?" We found that many children are getting in prisons. And they are our children. Let us put cultural activities and income building activities aside, and let us tackle the children first. All these women are helping, counseling and going to the extent of taking them out of prison and bringing them back to their homes. Some are also keeping the child offenders at their home. I have a child who has even gone killing, but I am keeping her at my home, I have taken her back to school. She is doing the same (points to woman) and She is doing the same. Almost everybody here, that is what we are doing.
Return to Gulu District