Trip to Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp

Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp.

     “They killed two missionaries, burned two of our vehicles, and our buildings as well; that was during 2004 ” said Elly. “They didn’t like the work we were doing here”, continued Elly, speaking of Muslim’s in the area. Elly is the leader of a Christian organization called “Here is Life” (HIL), located in Northern Uganda. Here is Life began in 1988, in response to the war of 1979-1986, that left the area in an unstable and very needy condition. Since 1988, HIL has evangelized and discipled people in the area, as well as met physical needs that arise. “This area was very friendly toward Christians before 1979. However, after the war in 1988 when HIL began, many Christians were scattered. "We discipled the people and were building churches, but that is why we were attacked in 2004” Elly told us. Thankfully, the hostility from Muslim’s has greatly decreased and Christians and Muslims live peacefully together in this area today.

From left to right: Edward, myself, Anthony, Susan (holding the baby), then three HIL workers, Elly (seated on the far right).

     Here is Life is a partner that World Renew (WR) works with. I was on a trip to visit the partner, along with friends Anthony and Sara Sytsma, and another WR staff member Edward Etanu and his wife Susan. The purpose of the trip was to see some of the work that is going on in the refugee camps. It was also a way for me to learn what a partnership with WR and a local organization, in this case, HIL, looks like. 

Elly, leader of HIL, shows us a pit latrine (outside toilet) that they build for a refugee family. 

      When the conflict in South Sudan began in 2016, HIL began working in Bidi Bidi, the nearby refugee camp that was created to handle the flow of refugees from South Sudan. Currently,  Uganda has over one million refugees, mostly from South Sudan. Follow the link to learn more about the conflict. https://www.cfr.org/interview/understanding-roots-conflict-south-sudan Bidi Bidi is one of the largest camps in the world at close to 250,000 people. “We went into the camps when the crisis began in 2016, to see what we could do. We realized that there was a great need for pit latrines (outdoor toilets), since people were defecating in the open, which greatly increases the risk of diseases” said Elly. “After some time when most people had latrines, we targeted the vulnerable population, the ones’ who could not build a latrine for themselves” continued Elly “People who are elderly, have a physical disability, woman or child run homes”. While have latrines have been the current focus of HIL in the camp, they also do other programs, such as peacebuilding and trauma healing for refugees. Here is Life would also like to launch training on income generation, such as sewing, baking, and agriculture in the Bidi Bidi camp.

     As I left the camp at the end of the day, I had a heavy feeling that stuck with me. Here were 250,000 living in less than ideal conditions because of tribal conflict that has wreaked havoc in the country. The camps are places where idolness and poverty create habits and lifestyles, such as prostitution and laziness, in the youth. 

The grandfather is seated on the ground in the center of the photo, with his grandchildren spread around him.

     The sad story with the family pictured above is that when the whole family came to the camp, the parents (the ones who gave birth to the children pictured above) of the grandparents told them "you stay here with our children, while we go back to South Sudan and find a job". However, the grandparents later learned that their children had NOT gotten a job, but had joined the army in South Sudan. 

     The trip really made me grateful for the work that HIL is doing. The whole situation with the conflict in South Sudan and the refugee crisis is very complex. Please pray for the work of HIL and for the refugees at Bidi Bidi.