quick update

This will be short as my connection today is slow and the old sticky keyboard makes this a difficult process.

In Gulu we've been staying at St. Monica's Tailoring School for Girls. Six nuns (Sacred Heart - I believe is the order) are at it's helm, with two serving s teachers (the other 20+ teachers are local Ugandans) and one is the principal/director. All of the students here were effected by the war. Some abducted as soldiers, while most were abducted as what are known as "war wives" - taken by the Lord's Resistance Army to serve as their cooks and also as concubines. Many of the girls, when they escaped, now had a child or two in tow and they are not yet 18. Some do not have families to return to and those that do may not be accepted back. This school is their refugee. The sisters help build bridges with families, provide housing and day care for the young mothers and their children, as well as for the other girls. And with peace talks pending for the last year, there is a calm that hasnt' been felt in Gulu in over 20 years and the girls sing and dance and appear to be so happy. In addition to schooling, the girls here receive trauma counselling (as do the nuns before they come here). As they are in the middle of exams we have not yet met any of the girls formally, but they are friendly and welcoming to us. It's an amazing place to be staying while in Gulu.

Tomorrow is a day off for our team and we hope to work out a way to visit Murchison Falls National Park (google it for info) to see some Elephants, Giraffe's and the like - if we can work out transportation - tourists only go via Kampala - no one has come from Gulu or north in decades. Will see what comes of it!

PS - please feel free to use the comment section of the blog as I will check the blog before I check email if internet is slow so am more likely to respond. thanks!