JYAMI YA KUPATANISHA (JYAK) Project title: Reintegrating and empowering returnees to realize their rights and potential. More»
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IDF: Independent Development Fund
JYAMI YA KUPATANISHA (JYAK) Project title: Reintegrating and empowering returnees to realize their rights and potential
Reintegrating and empowering returnees to realize their rights and potential
Project area or area of operation: This project is implemented in three districts of the Acholi sub region, where one sub county was chosen in each district. The project is implemented in Odek sub county in Gulu District; Koch Goma sub county formerly in Amuru District but now in the new district of Nwoya and Palabek Ogili sub county in Lamwo District, which was curved out of Kitgum District .
Brief background For about twenty years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) committed serious war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Acholi sub region. As returnees strive to resettle in their communities, they face a number of challenges including battling with the traumatic experiences carried along with them from the bush; being stigmatized, discriminated and not being easily accepted by community and family members.
Therefore, there is a fundamental need to address the reintegration of returnees based on the background that returnees are, in essence, victims of the insurgency who were abducted by the LRA, mostly during a tender age, and initiated to committing atrocities without freewill. However, because traumatized former abductees return to communities that are also traumatized, the implementation of this project also brings on board some community youths, elders and local leaders, lest the project would be resisted for being what the communities refer to as “reward to ex-rebels”.
Support received from IDF:123,580,800UGX
Major strategies: In order to achieve the reintegration and advocacy for the rights of returnees, the project pursues the following strategies:
Trauma and stigma healing – to heal the mental and emotional wounds inflicted on the returnees before, during and after abduction and to build their esteem and help them open up to advocate for service delivery and other issues that affect them and community members in their respective communities;
Peace education – to predispose returnees on peaceful and non-violent ways of peace and conflict management; so that peaceful coexistence between returnees and community members is fostered;
Advocacy missions with various stakeholders including community members, local leaders, policy makers and policy implementers – to popularize reintegration and rights of returnees as social, political and policy issues.
Achievements Koch Goma sub county Mr. Onyango Umar: Umar is a community representative to the project. As result of the peace education training, he was able to resolve two conflicts. One was a land conflict and another was a domestic conflict.
· Challenges:
The major challenge remains the distant project areas which are wide apart.
Looking at the future. It was also discerned that the beneficiaries are very enthusiastic about multiplying the knowledge and skills imparted into them through the previous trainings. The trainings so far done in the second and third quarters have built their esteem and recognition from communities. Thus, building capacities and esteem of individuals and groups transforms them and exalts them from a situation of lowliness to a respectable status.
