A Clothes Call.....

My friend Debbie e-mailed recently to say she’s coming to Uganda with a group of doctors for several weeks in October. They’ll be spending most of their time in Kampala, with maybe a side trip to Kenya. I told her I’d be running a workshop during the time she was here, but welcomed her to come up to Gulu.

Now, I know she’s been reading the blog, and I half expected her to come up with a reason to decline a side trip up north. Life in Gulu ain’t no joke. Even though I’m actually adjusting quite nicely, and adoring the quiet, cool evenings and tranquil mornings, I retain a vague memory of what life was like before Gulu. This outpost is definitely NOT for the faint of heart.

But Debbie’s response was enthusiastic and really quite heartening…not only did she want to come up to Gulu and sit in on one of my workshops, she was also keen on visiting some refugee camps! I’ll probably have several visitors while I’m here, including my “heart friend” Katherine, who’s already looked into Northwest/KLM flights into Entebbe, and my sister Marilyn and her husband John, who’s really excited about going on his first safari. I figure I’ll take them to Murchison Falls, which I hear has absolutely breathtaking views of the Nile to go along with the wildlife tours.

Still, I doubt many of my visitors will want to visit refugee camps, and I can totally understand that. I toured another camp yesterday, but this time, the sight of children playing didn’t make me feel happy or hopeful. Like I wrote the other day, the squalor, destitution, and disease-inducing conditions at these camps are like nothing you could possibly even imagine. Yesterday, I really DID feel like crying.

There was something else I noticed this time, and it’s been disturbing me ever since. So many of the children running around Pagak camp were naked. Just like during my earlier trip, their little bodies were covered with dirt and mud. But at some of the other camps, at least they wore clothes, even if they were rags. Yesterday, most of the children under 6 were naked, or maybe wearing just a tattered shirt or shorts. Definitely most of the toddlers were nude. No diapers, no socks, no teeny little tee shirts or panties. It just broke my heart.

Mind you, these aren’t some primitive people whose culture shuns clothing; I’m not talking your basic 1920’s National Geographic stereotype of what African natives are like. The children in the Pagak Internally Displaced Persons camp were naked because their families had fled from rebels wielding machetes, taking only what they wore on their backs. Those children had lost parents, sisters, uncles, cousins, and they were struggling every second to survive. Their families had probably had simple, peaceful lives in their villages. Heck, I’m sure they at least had clothes. But now they have nothing but time to wait for monthly shipments of maize meal from the World Food Programme….and for the government to help make returning home possible.

So when Debbie asked if she could bring extra suitcases filled with clothes, I was touched. My friends Simone and Kelley had asked me the same thing before I left, but I was so rushed, I never got around to taking them up on it. Now I desperately wish I had. So after I read Debbie’s e-mail, I thought, “why not?” I know it might be a bit of a burden for friends to lug extra suitcases when they visit, not to mention the excess baggage costs. But now I know without a doubt that whatever they bring is truly needed—and would be greatly appreciated—by the children of Pagak.

So I’m turning this posting into a plea. If you know anyone with old clothing for children aged 10 and under, gather up as much of it as you can, pack it in a box and send it to me in Gulu. Now, I must warn you….it’ll take a while to get here. My sister Julie sent me care packages in early June that just arrived this past Monday. But whenever they get here, I’ll take them with me every time I visit an IDP camp. You’ll be doing God’s work if you help out.

You can send clothes to me at P.O, Box 811, Gulu, Uganda. And because even when I'm helping others, the bottom line is still all about moi, throw in a couple of bottles of Avon Skin So Soft, if you can find it. Several people over here SWEAR it keeps them totally bug free. I figure my generally bitchy attitude would lighten up immensely if I could spend just a few minutes over here NOT being tormented by skeeters.

But hey, do NOT get me started........