Women and Politics

Women and Politics…rumor has it you are not supposed to talk about either, and guess what; I’m going to talk about both in one blog!

First, let me tell you a few things that happened this week. We had someone try to break into our house while we were home. Once again, I think I must have a slightly twisted family, because for the boys, this was maybe the highlight of their week (unless it was catching a man cheating playing pool and confronting him, or the gigantic cockroach in the soup pan). Anyway, our guard was on the ball, and our family had about three knives and willing attitudes should the potential burglars decide to actually climb the fence. They spent quite a bit of time trying to convince the guard to open the gate, then they started throwing rocks, but that was as scary as it got.

We had the distinct privilege of travelling to Lira this weekend to look at another children’s village project that Assist has been involved in. It is called Otino Waa (which means our child in the local language), run by some wonderful people from Oregon, Bob and Carol Higgins. Carol had decided that we were probably ready for some home cooking, so they had us to their house for dinner. It was spectacular. That woman knows how to cook, the kids were in heaven. She had a pot roast, twice baked potatoes, and cinnamon rolls as the bread! Then she made a delicious homemade chocolate cake for dessert. We even had ice we could use. We ate and ate, it was so good.

The next morning we went out to a ceremony to celebrate the 100th protected spring that they had put into place. People, if you could see the before and after pictures, it is incredible. They have a water hole, that is used for drinking, animals, bathing, etc. and it is pretty gross. However, Bob and Carol have designed a way to protect the spring, and clear, cool water now runs out into a cement holding tank. Water to drink can be filled directly, and then the animals can go down lower and drink, thus not contaminating the water. This only costs $1000 to protect a spring, and it literally saves many lives, and improves the general health of an entire village. The village that received their 100th protected spring was a village of people who had just recently returned to their homes from the IDP camps (Internally Displaced People), due to the rebel activity and political unrest in the area. Their first crops have not even matured yet, they are very, very poor, very sickly, and yet know they have clean water to drink. Bob and Carol’s group is going in there this week to de-worm the entire village, and they hope it will drastically improve the health for these people.

When we arrived, they had music going, women dancing, children laughing, they had decorated the spring with flowers and bushes, and the joy in these people’s eyes was unbelievable. I couldn’t help but get tears in my eyes, as I think of the simple, basic things here, that when given, are so greatly appreciated. What Bob and Carol are doing is truly amazing. The celebration lasted about three hours, and I wouldn’t have missed a second of it for the world.

I want to tell you about a woman I met in Lira, at the celebration. Her name is Lillian, and she is a District Representative, in political power, quite a feat for women in Africa. Women in Africa basically have no rights. If their husband wants their money, he takes it, and beats them if they don’t give it to him. If he’s tired of being married to her, he divorces her, takes everything, and doesn’t haven’t to care for his children at all…she has no recourse through the law. If a man wants her seat, she sits on the floor. She works day and night, endlessly, and has no power whatsoever. If she is raped, she is outcast. If her husband dies, his family kicks her out of the family home and takes absolutely everything, leaving her with nothing. It is truly a desperate situation and I feel passionate about the need to empower these women, because I truly believe it is one of the things that is holding this continent back. When I think about what women do for our society in America, and then realize that women in Africa basically cannot contribute in that way, well, the men here need to get a clue, and believe me, when given the chance, I have been quite outspoken and let them know what I think about how they treat the women-I'm sure this surprises anyone who knows me-ha! (of course, when confronted, they all agree with me and blame other men, never themselves).

Now politics here are also a crazy thing. It is very corrupt. There are many reasons for the corruption, but it really holds the people down, and makes them feel powerless because there is such little accountability. Millions of the dollars in aid that comes through governmental channels is not funneled to the areas promised, but rather pads the pockets of politicians. In Uganda, where in the North, they have been terrorized for years and years by a man who is just pure evil, named Joseph Koney, I was asking why the government hasn’t gone in there and wiped him out a long, long time ago. Interesting to hear the opinions... One is that the past president came from one of the tribes being terrorized, and he wasn’t very good to the current president’s tribe…so there is no real motivation to help out. Another even much more interesting note is that the President’s brother has the trucking contract to truck all of the UN food aid up to the north in the IDP camps…a contract worth millions of dollars a year. Are you now getting the picture?

So back to Lillian, first of all, it is quite a feat to be a woman in political power, she has a dynamic personality, and she is very warm, caring, and intelligent. At the water ceremony, she turned to us and she spoke directly to us, and she said, “I have something I want to ask you to do. Please tell your government, tell any of our government you meet, and tell the world, that while we are so grateful for this gift of clean water, which will save countless lives, what we really need is a chance for peace. If we had peace, then we could stay on our land, work hard and improve our lives and our situations, but without peace, we can do nothing. So please tell the world that we just ask for peace.” Anyone out there listening? Do you know how easy it is to email your congressman and urge him stand up for peace in the Sudan/Uganda/Congo area? These countries all meet up in the North, and this is where the unrest is. So please, take advantage of our ease of communication, our freedom to express ourselves, and send an email to your congressman, senator, and President urging them to do all they can to bring stability to that region of the world. Lives depend upon it. I have already, and I will continue to, because I feel like I owe it because I live in a society where I am equal, where I have rights, where I can get a clean, cold glass of water whenever I want… and I owe it to my new friend Lillian, a woman who doesn’t ask for much.

Ciao,

Cheri