Soft heart, hard feet: ILA - a joy to be with, as always!

My time with ILA-Uganda

Spending time with CRED Partner I Live Again Uganda (ILA) is always a treat, and this visit has been no exception to that.

Based in Gulu ie a 6 hour drive from Kampala, I don’t get to see them as easily as I do some of the other partners and projects, but the drive is always more than worth it, and my time with this week has been an absolute delight in many ways.

The four strands of ILA’s work now are trauma counselling, faith-based support, community development and resettlement, and these feature in all the projects that they are engaged in.

ILA started out as a non-profit that provided trauma counselling to local communities ravaged by the war of terror inflicted on the region by Lord’s Resistance Army, during the 80’s, 90’s and early 00’s. The dominant tribe here is the Acholi, and it was that people group who suffered most, with many of them fleeing to Kampala, resulting in the setting up of Acholi Quarters – another community in which I am involved. Over time, ILA expanded its reach to include Acholi Quarters, where it not only provided trauma counselling, but also resettlement for families that felt ready to make the journey back to their homeland.

Now, the village work relating to LRA conflict is reducing, as time progresses and the ILA legacy of villages healed has resulted in the number of villages still needing support dwindling to almost none.

In place of this branch of their work, ILA have two additional key projects that are becoming their twin primary foci.

One is the support of South Sudanese refugees who are based in the borderland region of Lamwo. Some of these refugees live in UNHCR run camps, whilst others have moved on from there and are setting up homes in the host community. As a result support is needed not just for the refugees, but also for the host community who are having to adapt to having ‘outsiders’ moving into their area.

The other key project that has very recently started is the ‘Girls Project’. This works with girls age 13 -17 who have got caught up in sex work within Gulu. The causes for them being in this work are many – poverty, running from an abusive home, trafficking, ‘the glittery lights of life in the big town’, parents remarrying and not accepting children from the previous marriage….

Whatever the reason, the girls come to the project initially broken, hurting, angry, fearful and with many other negative and destructive emotions and self-images inside them. The programme that they join includes counselling, discipleship, mentoring, fun and games, non-judgmental love and support, acceptance, provision of clothes and sanitary products as needed, three meals each day and, as time progresses, access to skills training so that they can embark on new income generating activities.

I know I’ll be writing more about these projects as time progresses, but for now I just want to lift this wonderful, inspirational, Christ-filled, God-facing organisation, and thank them not only for being my Gulu-based home and friends, but also for doing all that they do so beautifully, non-judgmentally, wholeheartedly, and in such a prayer-filled, grace-filled, Christ-centred, loving way.

To quote I can’t remember who…..’I’ll be back’!!!!