Under the leadership of Past-President Mark Hall, an Episcopal priest, Stockton East Rotary Club has launched a world-class International Service Project. Northern Uganda is experiencing a large-scale human tragedy. The heart of the conflict is an 18-year-old civil war. In this civil war, one sees kidnapping of children in attacks targeting boys and girls. More than 20,000 children have been kidnapped including 12,000 since 2002. This conflict is fought by, with and against children. They are forced to become child soldiers or sex slaves to their commanders. The actions of a fanatical rebel movement, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), have displaced more than 1.6 million people in northern and eastern Uganda, a number even higher than Darfur. The conflict has destroyed lives, communities and rich agricultural traditions.
One also sees the phenomenon of the “night commuters”. Each night in northern Uganda, more than 40,000 mothers, grandmothers and children leave their homes and travel many miles by foot into a safer area seeking refuge from abduction by the LRA. When the sun rises, they make the trek back to their villages in the northwestern province of Arua, usually on empty stomachs.
In this area of northwest Uganda, the Anglican Church maintains the Diocese of Madi/West Nile that covers the three provinces of Arua, Moyo (home base for the LRA), and Nebbi. The Diocese contains 300,000 Anglicans, and the Bishop oversees 820 churches, 200 schools, 5 farms and 1 hospital. The Diocese is responsible for seventy percent of the social services in the region. There are far too few priests for the enormous need and the Diocese survives on a budget of US $50,000! “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).
The San Joaquin Diocese and the Madi/West Nile Diocese are connected. The recently retired Ugandan bishop there has contacts in this Episcopal Diocese. Recently retired Episcopal priest Jim Short, of the San Joaquin Diocese, is currently serving in the Madi/West Nile Diocese.
Father Jim and Father Mark have known each other for many years and Father Jim has provided President Mark with a preliminary list of needs. Jim Short will visit Stockton and Stockton East Rotary Club in September and will bring with him a more complete list. The current incomplete list stresses the need for seed, agricultural equipment and school supplies. Father Jim will also report on the results of his effort to locate a sponsoring Rotary Club closer than the six Rotary Clubs in Kampala, Uganda (District 9200).
Through our International Service Chairman, Ashok Chinai, Stockton East Rotary Club will partner in this project with the Vapi Rotary Club, Gujarat State, India (District 3060). The contact Ashok Zaveri (Rotarian Stan Thomas was the Zaveri’s guest in 2001) will attend Stockton East Rotary in August.
Stockton East Rotary and Vapi Rotary will each ship one full container to Uganda. The emptied containers will be donated to the recipients to be used for safe storage. The U.S. container is expected to cost US $7,000 to purchase and ship. Matching Grants will be applied for in both District 5220 and District 3060. To the extent possible, the contents will be donated in-kind materials. 19 July 2005
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