Gulu Walk
Encyclopedia
GuluWalk is an initiative started by two Canadian
s to highlight the plight of Acholi children in northern Uganda
who used to trek each night to town centers in the districts of Gulu
, Kitgum
and Pader
– for fear of being maimed, raped, abducted or even killed by the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA), a rebel paramilitary group that has been operating in northern Uganda since 1987.
Each night, tens of thousands of children referred to as "night commuters", ranging between the ages of 3 and 17, walk up to 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Internally Displaced Person
(IDP) Camps to larger towns, especially Gulu
, in search of safety from the LRA. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since 1987 for use as soldiers and sex slaves.
In the midst of this conflict, over 1.7-million people have been displaced, on top of thousands of night commuters. These displaced persons have been forced into abhorrent conditions in camps where hundreds of people are dying every week because of a lack of clean water, food and medical care.
The plight of the children sparked the idea for GuluWalk, a 31-day night commute in support of these children. Every morning in July 2005, Adrian and Kieran walked 12.5 kilometres into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about four hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their usual daily routine, to mimic the lifestyle endured by the Acholi children of northern Uganda.
Over the 31 days they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps, and there was everything from front-page news to freezing cold nights to face-to-face rat encounters.
The intention of the GuluWalk was not to attempt to replicate the terror, fear and uncertainty of the real 'night commuters', who walk for their lives every single day. This was believed to be impossible because of the magnitude of the situation faced by the children of northern Uganda. Instead, Adrian and Kieran walked to tell these children's story and draw attention to their plight.
In partnership with CPAR (Canadian Physicians Aid and Relief), GuluWalk is involved in providing activities that empower youth and foster a culture of peace in the war-torn region of northern Uganda. Specifically, GuluWalk has contributed funds to a peacebuilding project in Gulu and Pader districts entitled By Youth for Youth, which has been designed to strengthen community support structures and promote community peacebuilding among youth. By carrying out effective community-level conflict resolution, peer counseling and recreation-based activities (music, dance, drama, and sports tournaments), the project provides opportunities for children to deal with past traumas, as well as providing forums for positive interaction. As part of the program, GuluWalk supports a youth-focused radio show on Choice FM in Gulu. The show airs every Wednesday night and offers a platform for youth to discuss peace and conflict mediation in the community. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $75,000 to CPAR.
GuluWalk has also teamed up with the Liu Institute and the Gulu District NGO Forum to fund the building of the first-ever Youth Cultural Centre in northern Uganda. The aim of this expanded program is to empower the local community, specifically youth, and provide an unbreakable link to Acholi history and culture, and be a beacon for social justice in the region. Ideally, the cultural centre will promote locally owned approaches to reintegration, justice and reconciliation through action research, cultural activities and youth-led advocacy by empowering local leaders, youth, children and marginalized women through the centre’s activities. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $100,000 to the Liu Institute.
In partnership with War Child Canada, GuluWalk supports the Girls Education Initiative Project, which involves the funding of a program that provides educational opportunities to families in Kitgum, Gulu and Pader districts. The focus is on girls aged 13-26 who are heads of households and/or child mothers, who are unable to meet the cost of formal education themselves. GuluWalk also funds the Northern Uganda Child Legal Defence Project that provides direct legal aid to conflict-affected youth. It also involves the training of local legal structures in Gulu, including the police, probation and welfare officers, and local courts on their roles and responsibilities to protect these rights. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $75,000 to War Child Canada.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
s to highlight the plight of Acholi children in northern Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
who used to trek each night to town centers in the districts of Gulu
Gulu District
Gulu District is a district in Northern Uganda. The district is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial center, the town of Gulu.-Location:...
, Kitgum
Kitgum
Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District, in Northern Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Kitgum District Administration...
and Pader
Pader District
Pader District is a district in Northern Uganda. It is named after Pader, the chief municipal, administrative and commercial town in the district, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
– for fear of being maimed, raped, abducted or even killed by the Lord's Resistance Army
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(LRA), a rebel paramilitary group that has been operating in northern Uganda since 1987.
Each night, tens of thousands of children referred to as "night commuters", ranging between the ages of 3 and 17, walk up to 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Internally Displaced Person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
(IDP) Camps to larger towns, especially Gulu
Gulu
Gulu is a city in Northern Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The city is located at 2˚46'48N 32˚18'00E, on the metre gauge railway from Tororo to Pakwach. Gulu is located approximately , by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city...
, in search of safety from the LRA. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since 1987 for use as soldiers and sex slaves.
History of GuluWalk
Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda in the spring of 2005. They read accounts of children -- as many as 40,000 -- walking from their rural villages into the town of Gulu and other urban centres to sleep in relative safety and avoiding abduction by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for use in the country's 21-year civil war.In the midst of this conflict, over 1.7-million people have been displaced, on top of thousands of night commuters. These displaced persons have been forced into abhorrent conditions in camps where hundreds of people are dying every week because of a lack of clean water, food and medical care.
The plight of the children sparked the idea for GuluWalk, a 31-day night commute in support of these children. Every morning in July 2005, Adrian and Kieran walked 12.5 kilometres into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about four hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their usual daily routine, to mimic the lifestyle endured by the Acholi children of northern Uganda.
Over the 31 days they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps, and there was everything from front-page news to freezing cold nights to face-to-face rat encounters.
The intention of the GuluWalk was not to attempt to replicate the terror, fear and uncertainty of the real 'night commuters', who walk for their lives every single day. This was believed to be impossible because of the magnitude of the situation faced by the children of northern Uganda. Instead, Adrian and Kieran walked to tell these children's story and draw attention to their plight.
GuluWalk programs
Working with AMREF Canada, GuluWalk has funded two major youth health initiatives in northern Uganda. Last year, the ‘Health for Night Commuters Program’ helped contribute to the reduction of the risk of transmission of STD’s/HIV/AIDS, sexual and other forms of child abuse, and the negative psychosocial impact of the situation among night commuters who, because of insecurity, seek shelter outside of their homes. GuluWalk also supports Promoting Girls Education for Better Health in Kitgum District, which focuses on training in health and nutrition, personal and community hygiene, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention and education. The goal is to provide opportunities for girls and support for an understaffed health care system in the region. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $75,000 to AMREF Canada.In partnership with CPAR (Canadian Physicians Aid and Relief), GuluWalk is involved in providing activities that empower youth and foster a culture of peace in the war-torn region of northern Uganda. Specifically, GuluWalk has contributed funds to a peacebuilding project in Gulu and Pader districts entitled By Youth for Youth, which has been designed to strengthen community support structures and promote community peacebuilding among youth. By carrying out effective community-level conflict resolution, peer counseling and recreation-based activities (music, dance, drama, and sports tournaments), the project provides opportunities for children to deal with past traumas, as well as providing forums for positive interaction. As part of the program, GuluWalk supports a youth-focused radio show on Choice FM in Gulu. The show airs every Wednesday night and offers a platform for youth to discuss peace and conflict mediation in the community. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $75,000 to CPAR.
GuluWalk has also teamed up with the Liu Institute and the Gulu District NGO Forum to fund the building of the first-ever Youth Cultural Centre in northern Uganda. The aim of this expanded program is to empower the local community, specifically youth, and provide an unbreakable link to Acholi history and culture, and be a beacon for social justice in the region. Ideally, the cultural centre will promote locally owned approaches to reintegration, justice and reconciliation through action research, cultural activities and youth-led advocacy by empowering local leaders, youth, children and marginalized women through the centre’s activities. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $100,000 to the Liu Institute.
In partnership with War Child Canada, GuluWalk supports the Girls Education Initiative Project, which involves the funding of a program that provides educational opportunities to families in Kitgum, Gulu and Pader districts. The focus is on girls aged 13-26 who are heads of households and/or child mothers, who are unable to meet the cost of formal education themselves. GuluWalk also funds the Northern Uganda Child Legal Defence Project that provides direct legal aid to conflict-affected youth. It also involves the training of local legal structures in Gulu, including the police, probation and welfare officers, and local courts on their roles and responsibilities to protect these rights. In 2006, GuluWalk contributed over $75,000 to War Child Canada.