A Collaborative Effort in Lira, Uganda
In October 2011, I traveled to Uganda with Mercy Sisters Eileen Hogan and Margaret Farley, Co-Directors of the All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister (AACSS). One of the purposes of our trip was to visit the Bishop Asili Rehabilitation and Counseling Centre in Ngetta, a small district in Lira. Another was to meet with the community, see the clinic that had been built with funds from AACSS, and hear the report of the Director, Sister Florence Achulo Osaro, an AACSS scholarship graduate of the new program in psychological counseling at Kisubi Brothers University College (KBUC) in Entebbe. That program is a collaborative project of AACSS, its Ugandan contacts, U.S. foundations, leaders of religious communities in Africa, and KBUC.
Lira is an eight-hour drive from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and because of traffic, we arrived later than planned. Everyone – women, men, children, Sisters – waited patiently for our arrival. As we approached the drive into the motherhouse property on which the Centre had been built, we were met by about fifty women singing, dancing and waving large green fronds. I can’t begin to describe how humbling that was for us. The women led us from the main gate to the entrance of the Centre.
The room where we gathered was filled to capacity with people who have been helped by the staff of the clinic. The staff includes lay women who are teachers, Sisters from the religious community, and members of the leadership team of the hosting religious congregation. After a tour of the facility, we settled into the program for the day. We began to hear from the people about what this clinic has meant to them, and how it has changed their lives.
Reports are given in a unique way in Uganda. First, all present sing and dance, then someone speaks; then everyone sings and dances again. For me, it was important that I listened carefully to the translator sitting next to me, as some of the most meaningful statements are hidden in the songs.
The first small group of women sang their words to us and to the donors. That is their manner of sharing, but their eyes told the real story of pain and suffering that will never be totally healed. The line I most remember is: “Because you are paying, we can live.” How do you ever respond adequately to those words? You only wish you could do more.
Most of the women gathered with us were survivors of the tribal wars that have plagued this region of Uganda. They have experienced atrocities that are beyond belief and have witnessed family members being raped and killed, or have been forced to kill members of their own families. One wonders how they have survived. Unfortunately, most of those gathered are also HIV-positive, the scourge of that region and country.
Of course, we also had the more traditional reports, first from the Major Superior of the Missionary Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church, who told us how this project has responded to needs of the people that the Sisters in the congregation had not previously been able to meet. The Sisters sought help when they realized that prayer and visiting people alone could not address all the pressing needs. After the Major Superior of the religious congregation spoke, another group of women expressed what this place has meant for them. I was deeply moved by this statement: “Because of this place and the help we have received, we have re-found our humanity, so now we are able to praise God.”
As I listened to those words, I was reminded of one of the purposes of the counseling course of study at KBUC – to help clients find their humanity. For this group of people who have been helped by the Sisters and staff of the Bishop Asili Rehabilitation and Counseling Centre in Ngetta, that has happened.
The final report was given to the whole assembly by the Centre’s director, Sister Florence Achulo Osaro, in both English and the local dialect so that the people could understand. We heard not only of the extraordinary work of going out into the homes to find those in need and encouraging them to come to the clinic, but also of how the women who have benefited from the clinic’s services went out and encouraged others to seek help. We also heard of needs for the future, such as the need for solar power. In an area where reliable electrical power is limited, solar power would help to ensure lighting, computers and other equipment needed for teaching and skill development.
The last group to speak to us was made up of widows who were participating in an education program that has been developed to meet a great need. They were learning to read and to write in their own language so that they could survive and care for their children.
After hearing everything that was said, I was struck by how much has been accomplished in a very small place and in a short time – since 2009 – because of collaboration, education, and initiative. Women have discovered new meaning and purpose in their lives. Women have been empowered through literacy and critical thinking. Domestic violence has decreased. Awareness about AIDS has encouraged changes in behavior and attitude. And, above all, those who had lived in despair have found hope.
Sister Eileen Hogan had the final words of the evening as she congratulated the Sisters, members of the Bishop Asili Rehabilitation and Counseling Centre staff, and participants on what they had accomplished. She thanked the American Foundation for its generous funding and the Sisters of Mercy for their support. The All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister clearly expresses the global concern of the Sisters of Mercy for the empowerment of women.
The evening closed with the planting of a tree to honor the occasion. The tree was only a tiny branch, but in time it will hold a giant Jackfruit the size of a football. I am sure that it will be cared for as faithfully as the people of Lira district are cared for in the Bishop Asili Rehabilitation and Counseling Centre in Ngetta, Uganda.
Ellen Kurtz RSMwas active in elected Mercy Community Leadership roles for a number of years. Most recently, she was the President of the Northeast Region of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas (2006–2010).Presently, she is Resident Service Coordinator for two senior housing communities.