A LOCAL charity worker is back home in Glasnevin following a educational trip to war-torn Uganda during which he saw beautiful landscapes – and heart wrenching poverty.
Liam Barnard, who lives on the Old Finglas Road, was visiting Concern Worldwide programmes in the Pader district in the north of the African country.
Liam, originally from Manchester and born to Irish emigrants, works for Concern. He was accompanying four students and a teacher from Bandon Grammar School to Uganda.
The Cork school were the winners of this year’s Concern National Schools’ debate in which 120 schools around the country took part. Their prize was the week-long study visit to Uganda where they saw first-hand the work that Concern is doing.
Northern Uganda was the centre of the civil war between government forces and the Lord’s Resistance Army under Joseph Kony, whose story went viral via Youtube earlier this year.
Up to five years ago there were people still living in refugee centres. The government put people in these camps for their own protection and if they didn’t go, they were considered to be rebels and were liable to be shot. Some were in these camps for up to 20 years and it is these people Concern is now working with in partnership with local groups.
Because the people were in camps for so long they lost their skills, alcoholism had become a problem and some developed HIV and AIDS. They also grew used to being idle. The results are that land became overgrown and this made it difficult to distinguish who owned what land.
“Dad worked in the British Foreign Office, which meant I lived for periods in New Delhi, Oman and Tokyo,
? said Liam.
“I have been in large poor urban areas and seen the terrible traffic but I had never before experienced the rural poverty that I saw on this visit. I was struck by the juxtaposition of beautiful landscape and the grinding poverty of people living in mud huts.
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Concern works with the Ugandan Land Alliance. In 2007, people began to return to the land and amazing progress has been made since.
Women, whose husbands were killed in the civil war, have no inheritance rights on their husbands’ lands.
“Concern is providing counselling in the area of domestic violence to women, couples, the police and running workshops for children,
? explained Liam.
“Concern is tackling serious alcohol abuse.
“It’s interesting to see how men, who have suffered from alcoholism, have been reformed and are now counselling others in how to stop drinking.
“It struck me how similar the issues around alcoholism and domestic violence are with what goes on in Ireland. But because of the poverty in Uganda, the problem has a bigger impact on the family’s livelihood and survival.
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Concern is building boreholes and maintaining them, in partnership with local groups like it does with all its projects.
During Liam’s trip, his group visited a farming school, which is part-run by Concern.
“I was certainly impressed with the work Concern is doing and certainly the Bandon students and their teacher were genuinely moved by what they saw,
? he said.
“They are now planning to organise a fundraiser in Bandon as soon as possible for the work Concern is doing in Uganda.
“I was really impressed with the students from Bandon and they were certainly great ambassadors for Bandon Grammar School.
“The enormity of the task is great but the Concern team in Uganda has an undaunted spirit and nothing is impossible to them. There certainly is no nine to five mentality with them.
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This year Concern is spending e2.09 million in Uganda and the charity employs a staff of 75 in the country, all of whom but six are Ugandan.