HHF-Africa

Please share prayers for bombing victims in Uganda

2010-07-12T15:42:00.001-04:00

At 10:30 pm local time, 11 July, synchronized bombs ripped through a crowd in Kampala, Uganda, that had gathered to watch the World Cup Finals. This morning, Somalia's most feared insurgent group, the Shabab, claimed responsibility for the cowardly terrorist attack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/world/africa/13uganda.html

Photo: Yannick Tylle/European Pressphoto Agency

Among the dead was Nate Henn, an Invisible Children aid worker. Please join us in sending a prayer to the friends and family of Nate Henn, as well as to his coworkers at Invisible Children.

We have yet to make contact with our Director of Operations in Uganda, David Lubaale, to learn about our extended Humanity Healing family. Please send your prayers of safety to them as well as prayers of Healing to the victims of the attack.

Much Metta,
Christopher Buck
President
Humanity Healing International

Humanity Healing International Response to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2010-06-01T23:17:00.002-04:00

On 1 June, we sent out the following tweet to our network: Not in My Jewish Name- Israel attack on #flotilla,call Congress 202-224-3121. tell rep to condemn attack &cut $ to Israel http://ow.ly/1SGsL

In response, IsraelMFA, the official twitter of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sent us the following message: @humanityhealing more than four naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and some from various other weapons

Try as I can, I cannot convey my thoughts on this into a 140 character Twitter response to the IMFA, so I will post it here.

While our mission is to foster the Healing of communities with little or no Hope, Humanity Healing International had no direct participation with the Gaza Aid Flotilla other than sharing prayers for the safety of the mission and for the welfare of the people of Gaza.

As an international humanitarian organization, we support the peaceful resolution of conflict and condemn the violence and the loss of civilian life which occurred when the Israeli navy intercepted the civilian ships of the Gaza Aid Flotilla in international waters.

Humanity Healing International extends its sincere condolences and offers prayers of Healing to the families and relatives of those killed and wounded on both sides of this conflict. We also send our prayers for the Aid workers being held and express our concern that they be treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards.

This single wanton act of violence instigated by the Israel government and illegal under international law; has the potential to ignite a world-wide collective condemnation and action against the inhumane 3-year siege of the people of Gaza.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
~Albert Einstein

The world united against apartheid. We should unite against the systematic creation of a Palestinian ghetto behind a wall and the methodical oppression of the men, women and children of Gaza.

We are One Humanity and are each deserving of human rights and human dignity. When you consider that the people of the region, Muslims, Jews and Christians, all worship the same God; there must be a Path to Peace that all can walk together.

"Governments make treaties, but Individuals make Peace."

We call upon all people of the world to bring their governments to account to demand and create the necessary frameworks that will allow the people on both sides of the Gaza wall to live in dignity and establish Peace.

Christopher B. Buck
President
Humanity Healing International

OM-Times Radio Interview, 15 April 2010

2010-04-16T20:08:00.000-04:00

This is the first interview with Christopher Buck after his recent trip to Uganda to open our office there and to further define HHF-Africa's expanding initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Our Gratitude to Chris Anderson of OM-Times Radio and Onefeather Journal for this insightful interview. In addition, Chris Anderson produced this wonderful video with excerpts of the interview, combined with pictures from the trip.

A few dollars a month can make all the difference in the world! Http://www.humanityhealing.org http://humanityhealing.ning.com Here is the interview in its entirety:

The White Feather Foundation

2010-04-12T20:42:00.002-04:00

Humanity Healing International would like to share its deep Gratitude to The White Feather Foundation for the opportunity to partner together to raise awareness and make positive tangible change in communities around the world in need of Hope.

The White Feather Foundation embraces environmental and humanitarian issues and in conjunction with partners from around the world helps to raise funds for the betterment of all life, and to honour those who have truly make a difference.

Long before the world-wide success of the single ‘Saltwater” in 1991 and before ‘Inconvenient Truth’ was even a sparkle in Al Gore’s eye, Julian Lennon cared deeply about our planet and he continues to do so. He has been focusing on ways that we can all make a difference in what has become a rather sensitively-balanced world.

Symbolically, a white feather has personal meaning for Julian and therefore it became a natural name for his new Foundation – The White Feather Foundation.

"Dad once said to me that should he pass away, if there was some way of letting me know he was going to be ok - that we were all going to be ok - the message would come to me in the form a white feather. Then something happened to me about ten years ago when I was on tour in Australia. I was presented with a white feather by an Aboriginal tribal elder, which definitely took my breath away. One thing for sure is that the white feather has always represented peace to me."

~ Julian Lennon, 2009

http://www.whitefeatherfoundation.com

Uganda gov't says it will compensate rebel victims

2010-04-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

Uganda gov't says it will compensate rebel victims

(AP) – 1 day ago

KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan presidential adviser says that more than 5,000 people whose lips and ears were cut off by rebels will receive compensation.
Richard Todwong told The Associated Press on Thursday that victims have begun registering after the president announced that mutilated victims would receive aid.
The Lord's Resistance Army has been waging one of Africa's longest and most brutal rebellions for more than 20 years. Its leaders are the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
The rebels are accused of abducting children and cutting off people's lips and ears as warnings. Human rights groups say the rebels also have attacked civilians in Congo, Central African Republic and Sudan.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jb6xT8xFkCHBVExbw_yZDdEDtgpwD9EQ84201

Uganda gov't says it will compensate rebel victims
News Trends (blog) - 12 minutes ago
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Iowa City Press Citizen - 20 hours ago
Uganda gov't says it will compensate rebel victims
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Uganda Broadcasting Company Interviews 7 March 2010

2010-03-30T22:21:00.007-04:00

We would like to express our Gratitude to the Uganda Broadcasting Company for the opportunity to share Humanity Healing Foundation's vision directly with the Ugandan people.

The first interview is with Christopher Buck, President, Humanity Healing Foundation.

If the video with the interview does not load, you can watch it on our Youtube Channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_1QzfhKbcw

The second interview (in the Luganda language) is with David Baaba Lubaale, Director of Africa Operations, Humanity Healing Foundation - Africa.

If the video with the interview does not load, you can watch it on our Youtube Channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn0QypAWe_k

A Tale of Two Children - HHF-Africa Journal Part 6

2010-03-28T11:56:00.003-04:00

by Christopher Buck

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"

When Charles Dickens began his classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, he was not writing about present day Uganda, but his words apply. The latter half of each couplet speaks directly to the past 22 years: a civil war that has terrorized northern Uganda and handicapped the country as a whole from developing its full potential, and a fledgling peace that offers promise, but still needs time and assistance to rebuild the lives that were left as flotsam in the wake of war. The beginning of each couplet speaks directly to the flame of human goodness that always seems to shine at the darkest of times and can never be truly extinguished while Hope exists.

Uganda has a new face and it grows stronger and brighter with each passing day. That face is reflected in the children. Humanity Healing is committed to helping these Seeds of Humanity, the New Faces of Africa grow.

This blog is a Tale of Two Children: Alice Musikule and Lubanga-Kene Abech.

Meet Alice. She is from eastern Uganda, near where the recent mudslides occurred. Alice is a beautiful 10 year old, quick to laugh and smile. She is currently enrolled at Future Victory School, one of the schools Humanity Healing is partnered with. Alice was orphaned at 2 years of age. Both her parents died of HIV-AIDS (fortunately, Alice is healthy). She lived with her aunt for two years, but when the aunt married, there was no place for Alice. Alice was lucky. She was found by David Lubaale, our Director of Africa Operations, and was given a home at Future Victory School where she has lived for the last 6 years. Her favorite subject is Science and her favorite hobby is net ball. Until recently, her dream was to be able to study up to the university level (public education is only offered to the equivalent of 8th grade). With Sponsorship, the horizons of her opportunities have expanded dramatically.

Losing one's parents is the worst thing that can happen to a child's future in Africa. Without parents or a sponsor, the child usually enters a life of forced servitude and drudgery, in the fields or in the streets. In recent years, there has been massive influx of orphans due to natural disaster (such as the recent mudslide that killed 300), HIV-AIDS, and, of course, in the north, as a result of the 22-year war with Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. At Future Victory School alone, 150 of the 320 children enrolled are orphans.

Meet Lubanga-Kene. His name alone says much about his situation. Lubanga-Kene means "God alone (knows my destiny)". It is a common name for both boys and girls in northern Uganda that were born during the recent era of despair. Lubanga-Kene is a quiet and shy child who does not smile often. He was born in the IDP camps and currently lives at Tagotatoo. His mother was abducted as a young girl by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, enslaved, raped and abandoned when pregnant. She is infected with HIV-AIDS and is not expected to live more than a couple years. Fortunately for Lubanga-Kene, he and his mother live with his grandmother. Despite a wounded leg, the grandmother walks several miles into the bush every day to tend a garden that keeps them alive.

Like his name, Lubanga-Kene is representative of many children in northern Uganda. Although he is luckier than many and has access to basic schooling (the Tegot Atoo Primary School was built and supported by Save the Children with funding from Danida) where about 500 children are enrolled, there are not any real opportunities past that: no training and no jobs. In addition, the camps are being closed and many have nowhere to go. (To learn how HHF is actively working in this area, click on the link above and read about IDPERRI).

Alice and Lubanga-Kene are among the first children sponsored through Humanity Healing and are personally sponsored by the founders, Liane Legey and Christopher Buck. HHF currently has a general Child Sponsorship Fund for children, but within a few weeks, the Child Sponsorship Program will be upgraded so that compassionate souls can personally connect with a child at a heart level and interact with them directly. This program will be part of the Educational Empowerment Initiatives.

It takes so little to make a significant difference in the life of a child in Africa. For less than the price of a cup of coffee daily, you can sponsor the education, food, clothing and shelter of a child at a school like Future Victory.

Charles Dickens closes his Tale of Two Cities with words that could also apply to Uganda and in particular to your partnership with a child there:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done…"

For more information on the Child Sponsorship Program, email us at: sponsorships@humanityhealing.net

Endorsement Letter from Hon. Menyha

2010-03-26T17:02:00.002-04:00

Endorsement Letter - Honorable Menhya

Endorsement Letter from Hon. Kadaga

2010-03-26T17:01:00.002-04:00

Endorsement Letter - Honorable Kadaga

IDPERRI: Hope for the Hopeless, HHF-Africa Journal Part 5

2010-03-25T15:38:00.003-04:00

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.” ~French Proverb

My father would always tell me that before you can come up with a solution, you must first define the problem. OK…..here is the problem:

For 22 years, Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army waged war on the people of northern Uganda. Think about that. 22 years. An entire generation whose lives were shaped by the horror of war and the terror of LRA sweeps through the area, kidnapping boys to be brainwashed into being child-soldiers and young girls to be raped and forced into servitude. 22 years. An estimated 30,000 children abducted.

At the peak, an estimated 1.7 million people had fled their homes and crowded into IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps such as Tagotatoo and Laminator IDP Camps outside of Gulu, in northern Uganda. An entire people severed from their lives and forced into living off the charity of others. An entire generation who lost their sense of connection to the land and community and who now know nothing else but dependency.

For two years now, there has been peace. Refugees are starting to return to their homes. IDP Camps have been "officially" closed. Many humanitarian programs and NGOs have stopped operations and moved on to other "hot spots". The need is still there, though. An estimated 30-40% of the IDPs still live at the camps because they have nowhere else to go.

Even the IDPs who return home face trouble. With most of the elders and tribal leaders dead, and with the length of time displaced, many are finding it difficult to identify their land exactly or find others have taken it in their absence. The Land Courts will be full for years in the future. For those with land, many have no ability or resources to rebuild homes destroyed or replant farms.

And those still at the camps? These individuals can be put into groups that describe their particular level of challenges of adaptability to the process of settlement, and can be classified in three different categories:
1.    Extremely Vulnerable Individuals (EVIs) and People with Special Needs (PSNs). "The most vulnerable IDPs (EVIs and PSNs) include people with disabilities, severely traumatized people, female-headed households, orphans and child-headed households, and elderly people without family support. Some of them are presently struggling to survive, especially in those camps where the World Food Program (WFP) has stopped food distributions, due to a lack of funding." Source: Geneva briefing by the UN RSG on the human rights of IDPs, 29 July 2009
2.    People that can't go back to their original land due to land disputes.
3.    The group of people left behind in the refugee camps by their families for diverse reasons. These include women who have lost their husbands and have no sons, who are driven off their land by their former relatives.

The size of the problem is bigger than any single entity, government or NGO, to tackle.

So what is the solution?

Humanity Healing has proposed IDPERRI: Internally Displaced Person Empowerment, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Initiative. We are currently building a community of individuals, nonprofits, local and national government agencies, businesses, and other entities to work together to build a new type of platform to approach the problem. During my recent visit, this initiative received the enthusiastic support of the local, regional and national governing bodies.

In upcoming blogs, I will be discussing IDPERRI and how this new integrated concept will be bringing Hope to the hopeless.

Of all the places I visited during my recent trip to Africa, the IDP Camps around Gulu were the most difficult for me. There is a miasma of despair that is palpable and I wept at the feel of it. And yet, I have no doubt that we were led here. Humanity Healing was originally started to connect hearts to make a greater impact. Here, where the need for compassion is so great, is where we are dropping a pebble in the pond. Our goal is nothing less than the elimination of these camps through the reintegration of these individuals back into communities and society as productive members. Hope is the dream of a soul awake. Share this dream with us, help restore Hope to those who have lost it and watch the impact ripple out.
~ Christopher Buck

Find more photos like this on Humanity Healing Network

A Voice Not Heard: Uganda's Deaf Children - HHF-Africa Journal Part 4

2010-03-21T10:00:00.003-04:00

"The greatest handicap is in the mind."
~ Ssemigga Emmanuel

One of the aspects of my recent trip to Uganda that was really amazing was the way I was led to new connections and situations. I would be working in one area and a door to another would open. Perhaps the best example of this is the Uganda School for the Deaf. I was sitting in the waiting room of the Uganda Broadcasting Company, waiting for a CD of the interview I had just finished so I could share it with the HH community, when I chanced to overhear two men: Ssemigga Emmanuel , a radio broadcaster with a program raising awareness about issues involving persons with disabilities, and Onyango Benard , an instructor at the Uganda School for the Deaf. The next thing you know, we are exchanging information about societal differences in relation to handicap issues. When I mentioned that my "foster sister" Robin Chickering (technically my first-cousin-once-removed-in-law) is a teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for the Special School District of St. Louis County, MO they decided I was "one of the family".

And so I was invited to the Uganda School for the Deaf.

The need for educational opportunities is great for all Ugandan children, but deaf children face even greater challenges. Disabilities carry a social stigma and cultural discrimination that has been difficult to change: many deaf children are considered too much trouble to educate. Often they are kept at home and given the most menial labor in exchange for their upkeep. In addition, facilities and resources to help the deaf are scarce. The Uganda School for the Deaf is one of only six primary schools for the deaf in Uganda. Its enrollment is 207 students. The last census counted over 4,000 deaf children who are not in school.

The school enrolls children through the equivalent of Grade 8 in the US, the highest level of education guaranteed by the Uganda government. In addition, they start with a year of preschool where children and their caregiver are taught the basics of communication. It is from this class that the students of USD are chosen. Like the other schools in Uganda, school is year-round with three terms of 3 ½ months each. USD is also a boarding school. There are currently 105 boys and 102 girls, with 10 children having multiple disabilities. In addition, the school has some vocational training programs, such as carpentry, to teach basic trade skills.

This is required because the current National Primary Leaving Examinations (which must be passed to be given the opportunity to continue one's education) demand that the Deaf be fluent in English before they are graded in a given subject - a situation which ignores the fact that learning any second language is influenced by one's mother tongue. As a result, the majority of Deaf adolescents end up failing exams and are unable to continue schooling.

The children at USD are just like all of the other children I saw in Uganda. They are open, curious, and quick to laugh and smile. A Mzomu (white person) on the school grounds was a curiosity to be explored and we soon found ourselves surrounded by excited children who wanted to communicate with us. Despite Robin's many attempts to teach me better, my attempt at sign language (the only letters I know spell the phrase "I love you") was met by laughter and cheers and a furious barrage of corrections. The children are more tactile than others and soon I had children holding onto my arms to get my attention - a situation that brings much joy but does make it difficult to take pictures.

At first glance, the USD appears to be in better shape than most schools I toured in Uganda. The buildings were fully constructed with windows and cement floors. The dorms have bunk beds and mosquito netting. But that is where the advantages end. Teaching deaf children is obviously more intensive than non-deaf children. They require more one-on-one involvement with the teachers. There is a drastic need of additional teaching materials. A volunteer teacher from the UK we met, Genevieve Gardner, is working with the blind-deaf and told us that they cannot even teach rudimentary Braille as there is no machine and no basic teaching materials that are taken for granted in the West. Despite the challenges faced, the dedicated teachers are committed to keeping the children's education moving forward.

As an interesting fact, I did learn that there is a Ugandan sign language that is a combination of others. At the school, they do encourage one-handed communication.

The future of the Uganda School for the Deaf is in jeopardy. Its biggest sponsor is withdrawing due to funding issues. Although their sponsor built the current school and the dorms, it does not pay the modest school fees for the children. The government pays the salary of 18 teachers, but not the supporting personnel or for the children. The cost per year of a child to attend school, including room and board, is approximately $318. These school fees comprise approximately 73% of the schools budget. If you do the math, you will calculate that the operating budget is approximately $90,000. Can you imagine any school in the West, much less a Special Needs School, operating with a budget this small?

The Uganda School for the Deaf is doing what it can to defray expenses. They have planted a small orchard with 60 banana trees, they have poultry for eggs, 5 cows for milk and they collect rainwater to cut their monthly water bill. They even have sold ad space on their school sign. But it is not enough.

Humanity Healing is working to connect schools like this one with schools, churches and organizations in the West to help provide the children of Uganda the tools and resources they need to develop their full potential. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting schools in the Educational Empowerment section of our website. If you are touched by the stories of these children and have the compassion to help, please contact us to learn more.

by Christopher Buck

Find more photos like this on Humanity Healing Network

HHF-Africa Journal Part 3 - Meet Richard Jumba

2010-03-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

Meet Richard Jumba. Prior to April 2009, Richard Jumba was a fisherman on Lake Victoria. He was a successful man, with his own boat and equipment. He was able to provide well for his wife, Prossy Nalwoga, and their two small children: Brian Segawa, a boy of 5 who is disabled, and Mellisa Nassali, a girl of 2.

But then Richard Jumba was accused of a crime he did not commit.

Richard's half-brother committed the crime of selling property that he did not own, but had disappeared before he could be caught. The people bringing the charge thought that if Richard was suffering, the brother would come back. They told the local Magistrate that Richard committed the crimes of his brother and asked the Magistrate to hold Richard Jumba on remand for 1 ½ weeks so that they could bring forth the evidence and witnesses. Richard was sent to Kasangati Prison.

11 months later, there was no sign of the accusers, no sign of the evidence, no sign of the brother, and Richard Jumba had slipped through the cracks of the Ugandan legal system and was still remanded in prison. Without powerful friends or the money to bring the case to trial, he had lost hope that his case would ever be heard. Richard has a heart condition and had resigned himself to dying in prison as he had seen others die.

"I used to admire the dogs walking past the prison because they had freedom".
~ Richard Jumba

Today, Richard Jumba has a new life.

On 28 February 2010, Humanity Healing Foundation President Christopher Buck, HHF-Africa Director of Africa Operations David Lubaale and HHF-Africa Board member Tony Waiswa toured the Kasangati Prison to meet with the officials about the Prison Initiatives being developed for Uganda, speak with the inmates, and distribute soap and bread as a gesture of goodwill - a luxury not provided. In particular, they discussed the situation of individuals being held in prison on remand while evidence and/or charges were being prepared with Richard Jumba as an example.

As a result of the Humanity Healing Foundation's visit, the local magistrate reopened and reviewed the case and determined that Richard's civil rights were being violated. The charges were dismissed for lack of evidence and Richard Jumba became a free man.

Humanity Healing Foundation is developing a series of initiatives to address Human Rights issues in sub-Saharan Africa, including issues relating to prisons. HHF-Africa is building a working partnership with The Public Defender Association of Uganda to identify abuses of the system of remanding, the detention of suspects before trial and sentencing. The goal is to change both public acceptance of the system and the legal procedures involved: to place the burden of proof on the accuser to prove someone guilty instead of on the accused to having to prove one's innocence. This is the first step on the road to social justice.

What does the future hold for Richard Jumba? In the near term, just enjoying his wife and children, and the feeling of not being surrounded by walls. His accusers have gone into hiding because now that his case is dismissed, Richard Jumba can pursue a case of wrongful imprisonment against them. Farther out will come the difficult task of rebuilding a life shattered by a cultural attitude that accepts the taking advantage of the legal system's policy of remanding for personal gain. For HHF-Africa, Richard Jumba is a symbol of Hope for all those unjustly accused and lost in the legal system: that they are not forgotten and that there are people who care.

HHF-Africa Journal Part 2 - A Visit to Kasangati Prison

2010-03-17T12:37:00.000-04:00

A Visit to Kasangati Prison

by Christopher Buck

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."
~ Norman B. Rice

It didn't look very impressive. No watch towers. No high walls. No imposing barred doors clanging shut behind you with a peal of impending doom.

Just a simple beige building with a burgundy metal roof. Seemed a little unimpressive. I looked down the side at the compound behind and saw a simple barbed wire fence. I was surprised. "How do they keep people from slipping through the fence?", I wondered. The answer turned out to be simple. First, the prisoners are rarely let out of the cells. Second, if you get to close to the fence, you are shot. Life doesn't have much value in a Ugandan prison.

My recent trip to Uganda had many objectives for such a short time. We had come to Kasangati Prison for two: to get a better understanding of the challenges HHF and HHF-A will face working with Human Rights and Prison Initiatives in Uganda and to distribute bread and soap to the inmates as a gesture of goodwill. Soap is rarely given to the prisoners, bread never.

We met with the Warden, who I found to be open and honest about conditions at the prison and the penal system of Uganda. I learned about the difficult situation he faced trying to provide the minimum of basic Human Rights in an overcrowded system with a budget barely large enough to insure the lights stay on and that there is food for the inmates. At the very top of his list were manual toilets to improve sanitation and cut down on disease. Currently, each group cell has an open Jerry can that is dumped once a day. Other items on his "wish list" were:

Better fencing so prisoners could spend more time outside of their cells.
Medical supplies. They have a nurse, but no medicine or supplies. Their only option is to send the inmate to the hospital at Luzira Maximum National Prison if the situation is life-threatening, but, as he pointed out, they have no supplies either.
Better organized inmate tracking in the legal system so that he knows when an inmate has served his time and can be released. Prisoners often serve beyond their sentences.
Educational assistance for inmates so that when they are released, they have a better chance of finding work and reintegrating themselves back into society and not just end up back in prison.
A vehicle for transporting prisoners to their trials. Currently, inmates are hired out by the prison in work gangs. The money earned is supposed to pay for their transportation to trial, but if they are not hired or have not earned enough, prisoners miss their trials. As a result, they can be held indefinitely without a trial and formal sentence handed down. I will write more about this in the next blog.
Their own bore-hole for water. They currently are on city water, but when that goes down, inmates receive no water.
Blankets (yes, it does get cold in Uganda - at least relatively) and bedding for female inmates.
Feminine hygiene products for the female inmates.
A better system for female inmates with small children. Currently, if no family steps forward to care for the child during the mother's incarceration, the child will stay with the mother in her cell - hardly a safe healthy environment for an infant or toddler.

After the meeting, which I have to admit left me a little daunted, we headed out into the compound. The prisoners were squatting in lines before their cells. After David Lubaale, the Director of Africa Operations, addressed them in Luganda, we began to pass out the bars of soap. Many faces shown with gratitude at this simple human kindness, but many of the eyes I saw were dead and I knew that the inmate had given up hope and was just waiting to die. While the soap offered the luxury of a chance to be clean, plain bread was something the inmates never saw, and only the one's with dead eyes did not cheer.

The inmates eat something called posho, which is essentially low-grade corn flour and water cooked in a giant pot. Some inmates ate their bread furiously as if in fear of losing it, while others ate so slowly, you knew that they were thoroughly savoring every crumb. I was told later that many turned down the daily meal of posho after having the bread in mild protest to the food they receive there. In case you are wondering, it tastes as good as it looks in the picture.

After the bread distribution, I was asked by the warden to share a message of encouragement with the prisoners. I have been told that my best speeches are short ones, so with David translating, I shared a brief message.

I told them that HHF believes that no matter what we are on the outside, that inside we are all one humanity. I told them to remember that while it was correct that people serve time in prison when they commit crimes, they were still human beings. I told them that they were not forgotten, and that there were people outside the walls that cared. And I told them what I expected in thanks for the soap and bread: that one day they would meet someone in need of a kindness and to remember this day and pay my kindness forward.

Afterwards, the inmates were returned to the cells (approximately 40 per cell) and we were able to speak directly with individuals through the bars of the doors. We also toured the rest of the facilities, seeing the kitchen were the posho (which smells foul, by the way) and the official women's compound, which is empty as there are no funds to finish and roof it. The women are currently placed in one cell at the end of the men's cells (causing more crowding with the men) and kept isolated from them.

To say that my visit to Kasangati Prison was an eye-opening experience is a serious understatement. Humanity Healing Foundation and HHF - Africa believe in the rehabilitation, reconciliation and reintegration of former inmates back into society as productive members. We see this not only as a means to lift individuals, but as an essential public safety issue. Our initiatives in Uganda will have no existing structure to build on. We will have to create it.

Our mission to the prison did result in one incredible sign of Hope. In the next blog, I will share with you the story of Richard Jumba and how HHF-A will be developing the Prison Initiatives in Uganda.

Find more photos like this on Humanity Healing Network

HHF-Africa Journal Part 1

2010-03-14T17:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Humanity Healing Foundation Family,

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes during my recent trip to Uganda, particularly when there was concern about me being in the area of the recent devastating mudslide and for the prayers for those affected by it.

Thank you in particular for the prayers directed towards Alice, the girl whose education Liane Legey and I are sponsoring. She has responded positively to the malaria medicine we had delivered for her and the other child infected and she is due to be released from the hospital on Monday.

I have heard that once you visit Africa, a part of you will never leave. I know that this is true for me. HHF-Africa had recently received legal status in Uganda and I traveled there to work with the local team in setting up operations and to further define the scope of our mission there.

Uganda is a land of great extremes. It is blessed with fertile land and natural resources. The people are unfailingly open and friendly. And yet, great misery has been forced upon the country. Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army inflicted 22 years of war and terror on the people of northern Uganda and preventing the country as a whole from developing to its full potential. At its peak, 1.7 million people had fled their homes in fear and crowded into refugee camps.

With a peace treaty signed, a new spirit of optimism has been reborn in Uganda and the country again moves towards the prosperity that is its birthright.

And yet, there are many who still lack hope. 22 years of war have created an entire generation who has known nothing but a life of dependency in the camps. Many cannot return to their traditional homes. Those that do, often lack the capacity to survive without assistance. Orphaned children are everywhere with parents having been killed by Koni's reign of terror, natural disasters like the recent mudslide and the scourge of HIV-AIDS.

The reweaving of this generation back into society is a task of monumental proportions.

But as they say, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. With your friendship and support, Humanity Healing Foundation is working to make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and communities that have lost hope. Our initiatives in Uganda currently will fall into four areas:

1.    IDPERRI - Internally Displaced Persons Empowerment, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Initiative. This is a major project to help resettle the most vulnerable of the IDPs and to empower them to be active participants in the resettling of other IDPs - an action that will help reweave their place back into the fabric of society.
2.    Educational Empowerment. Many schools lack the resources to effectively teach the children so that they may reach their full potential, particularly with the massive influx of orphaned children.
3.    Woman and Family Empowerment. Many women and children have lost their husbands/fathers and lack the vocational training or materials to lift themselves out of poverty.
4.    Prison Initiatives. Human rights issues, a change in policies concerning remands and the reintegration of former inmates back into society.

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing in more detail about my experiences in Africa and how each of these initiatives will be developed. In addition to your input and support, we will also be working to build a community of organizations who together can create a greater impact than each could create individually.

Come join me at the elephant.

Much Metta,
Christopher Buck
President
Humanity Healing Foundation

Contact us

2010-03-10T17:54:00.000-05:00

Humanity Healing Foundation -Uganda

Humanity Healing Foundation - Africa
PO Box 31838
Clock Tower, Entebbee Road
Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
Director of Operations: David Lubaale
childrenofafrica@humanityhealing.net

Humanity Healing Foundation -USA

Humanity Healing Network

9947 Hull Street Road, Suite 117 Richmond,

VA 23236 USA

(804)-859-3395

President: Christopher Buck
contact@humanityhealing.net

Prison Ministry

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Who We Are

We are a group of souls willing to help others in the various conditions of life. WE believe in the sacracy of life in all levels, and that is our duty to help each other, no matter where we are.

Our Vision

We want to provide an outreach for many prisoners that are in dire a need of support in many levels,

Types Of Activity

We are developing an Christian advocacy agency, to help with legal aid, for innocents.
We have campaigns to gather resources to provide the minimum material medical assistance inside those facilities.
A prayer group structure, to give spiritual nurture to those in the despair situation of imprisonment
In the near future we hope to develop a pen pal program as well, with Christian mentors to help support spiritual development.

Location

Uganda Prisons (small facilities around Kampala Area)

About Our Prison Ministry

We are a non denomination non profit organization.

Support In

Please pray for our Ministry, our volunteers and the opening of opportunities to help more souls.
Support this ministry:

What is the IDPERRI Program

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IDP Empowerment, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Initiative: “IDPERRI”

The Green Uganda

CONCEPT

The concept behind of this project proposal is to create a self-perpetuating industry, staffed with former Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, whose primary function is to successfully resettle those people or families in other villages or sub-counties affected during the war or those during the insurgency.

The First Phase is to build a "pilot" village. The building of the village in itself will be a training program for the IDPs to be settled there. The skills and structure learned will then be applied by the First Phase IDPs to train the Second Phase IDPs during the building of their village. And so on.
Ultimately, the program will be vertically integrated, with the program villages producing the required materials for the starting of new villages.

APPROACH

Through partnerships with the Prime Minister's Office concerned with IDPs and refugees, local government offices in the region, an initial training of beneficiaries would be sought. This is one of the solidifying strategies of the vision of the project.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The objective of this project proposal is to provide an overall alternative that would create an ideal infrastructure for the relocation and settlement of the Internally Displaced Persons, Returnees, and In-Villages of Northern Uganda.

The central heart of this project will be one of building clean, healthy, economically self-sufficient communities for the relocation of returnees or war victims (former IDPs). The scope of this project holds as one of the main objectives to diminish the exterior dependencies, as it encourages the creation of a semi-urban, ecologically sustainable balanced landscapes as independent eco-villages.

PILOT AREA

This project is to cover the whole of northern Uganda. However, at the initial stage, it will be implemented in Laminator Village, Aswa County, Gulu district, northern Uganda. According to factors on ground, this village had over 250,000 people and a greater number of them died as a result of the fighting between the rebels and government forces (crossfire), others in camps and the remnants including those abducted by the rebels are the present targets of this project. Humanity Healing Foundation, HHF, through The Divine Mission International, TDMI, supports several children in the Schools therein.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Majority of the returnees are resettling in their respective villages by re-building grass-thatched houses. These shelters, regardless of cutting down the trees (poles) for building these shelters, which of course degrades the environment, their vulnerability still stands due to the fact that, those structures are easily subjected to destruction by fire. The rebels used to burn all shelters during the aggressive attacks cross the region.

Therefore, these project structures (made of earth) wouldn't only improve the health of the returnees but also sustain their safety for generations.

For more details on this and other projects,

contact us.

Educational Vocational Center Uganda

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“Compassion literally means to feel with, to suffer with. Everyone is capable of compassion, and yet everyone tends to avoid it because it's uncomfortable. And the avoidance produces psychic numbing -- resistance to experiencing our pain for the world and other beings.”
~ Joanna Macy

Information About this Project

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

In Uganda, orphaned and internally displaced children in the northern refugee camps are suffering as they have been marginalized by recent events. Forty children at a time will be expatriated from the camps, enrolled in a partner NGO school for primary education and be entered into the work-study program. This combination of education and vocational skills will empower these children, and allow them to be reintegrated into the dynamics of society and their communities.

Activities

This work-study program within a supervised Model Farm Vocational Center will provide hands-on training in all aspects of commercial poultry production, including breeding, egg production, poultry rearing and distribution of product to market.

To know more about this project download this project clicking here

Prison Initiatives-Uganda

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“We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments.”
~Oscar Wilde

Humanity Healing Foundation is a legal non profit Nondenominational in its premises and concepts; committed to Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Healing and Growth through Education and Spiritual Activism
WE are an international, nonsectarian, entity that embraces people from different backgrounds and all walks of life.
We recognize the necessity of maintaining the integrity and dignity of Human life in every stage of its existences, from the beginning until the end, including during trying situations.

Humanity Healing Foundation is in Affiliation with International Humanities Center, a Non-profit Public charity exempt from federal income tax under section 501[c](3) of Internal Revenue Code.

HUMANITY HEALING
PRISON RELATED INITIATIVES

HUMANITY HEALING
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
There are many people and regions in crisis around the world. The principles of Altruism and the Brotherhood of Man have declined in importance as individuals, nations and religions focus on the differences between each other instead of the similarities within our Shared Humanity.
We believe that with Compassion, Education and the Gift of Service through Spiritual Activism, this can be greatly changed.

We believe that we are all connected and that by helping another, we help ourselves. Each individual can make a Commitment to reach out. Each individual can make a Commitment to work towards the Common Good. As individuals, our personal contributions may be small, but when United in Common Cause, we can Change the World.
We understand when we refer to Prisons around the world, that not always the Legal system provides the fully treatment that is expected to be a valuable and efficient tool of the “Justice System”.

Humanity Healing Prison Initiatives are an attempt to contribute and expand the human side of every individual experience, re-aggregating the basic elements of human rights and human needs in every situational contest in One’s life, therefore being a causative instrument of a carving of a new Integral transformative Justice perspective.

The prison system in its conception was originated in order to be the correctional scheme for individuals that in some ways fail in the eyes of society. Nevertheless we also understand that to be send to a correctional facility is a result of a debt of society as a punishment, no one is send there to be punished beyond their current sentences.

WE BELIEVE AND ENDORSE THE ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE OF THE UN DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, WHICH STATES THAT:

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
All Humanity Healing Prison initiatives are solely result of the studies and actions developed by our House of Reconciliation.

This House focuses on Forgiveness and Tolerance issues. We believe that these two concepts are at the root of Healing on both a personal and global level. We support initiatives that foster better understanding and resolution of conflicts between both individuals and communities. We would like to differentiate between reparations, rehabilitation and reconciliation. Reparations are about repaying a debt to an individual or society because of a wrong done. Rehabilitation is about reinserting the wrong-doer back into society.

Reconciliation is the act of bringing the different parts of a conflict together and healing from the wrong that has been done. To reach Reconciliation, one must start by recognizing the common ground between the parties and working outward; instead of starting with the differences and working inward. It is from this mindset that Forgiveness and Tolerance are born.

PROJECTS
HHF Reconciliation Projects
Books Behind Bars
Support for Prison Chaplains and Libraries
Networking and Community Building
Prayer and Healing Ministries
The Mentorship Project

HHF Books Behind Bars Program (BBBP Program) Humanity Healing Foundation is actively working on the development of a solid network of people concerned with the rehabilitation and educational facets of those enduring imprisonment conditions. We advocate the importance of rehabilitation and the educational elements as a vital factor for re-insertement of Individuals back into their societies.

Support for Spiritual and Non denominational Prison ministers and Chaplains.

Humanity Healing as a non denominational, non partisan and non political organization believes on the Integrity of human beings, We do not see any individual through the common stereotypes and labels giving by society, but we see each and every human being as a soul perceiving a learning Journey. Humanity Healing is offering a practical e-book and DVD on the basic principals that guide and interconnect the various souls, as we are all partners of the same journey through life.

Networking and Community Building- Advocacy and Service

We have organized an international network of like minded people, other organizations, and volunteers from diverse segment of society that are all highly committed to bring an element of change and introduce the possibility of be of assistance, support and allow the personal development and rehabilitation of those that are facing their debts to society. In order to assure that this will be done according to the main principals of the UN declaration of Human Rights, we emphasize the importance of being a conscientious observer on civil rights and other humanitarian social issues. Raising awareness of current and emerging problems is the first step towards resolving them.

Conflict resolution and human rights advocacy are primordial part of the success of the justice system; and is also vital elements end the violent nature of prison life. From ending capital punishment to stopping discrimination in all its forms, this work purposed by Humanity Healing through its house of Reconciliation promotes peace between inmate groups, with prison administrations, justice officials, and the many organizations associated with the system. Only when this stage is reached we can account for successful stories of reintegration of individuals on the fabric of society.

Prayer and Healing Ministries.

The Humanity Foundation is a Healing Project with no denomination. We embrace individuals from every Religious and Spiritual background. This initiative of prayer and healing prison ministries is dedicated to all those who seek to enrich themselves or find themselves called to offer comfort and healing to others through the exercise of their faith. The healing power of prayer is incredible. The Humanity Healing Foundation includes Ambassadors and Volunteers who come together as Prayer Partners. These Prayer Partners send prayers for Individuals in need of healing or comfort. Individuals, families and communities in need may add their name to the various Prayer Lists.

The Mentorship program

The Contact with the outside world is one of the major elements that directly contribute with the achievement of a level of success during a period of rehabilitation process. We have found based on our experiences that many inmates (prisoners) do yearn for building , not only a network of understandable people to communicate with , but primarily they desire to learn new skills, new ways of thoughts, and many times they aspire for a new way to plan their lives. More then a pen pal program, Humanity Healing Foundation is investing the next months in the recruiting and training of volunteers that are willing to share specific skills that will help rebuild hope and give so many the opportunities to turn their lives around.

Seeds of Humanity Initiatives -Africa

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The Humanity Healing Foundation's Seeds of Humanity Initiatives are not broad mandates to eradicate poverty, end famine, or stop violence in war-torn countries. Neither are they overnight cures. They are specific projects created to restore Hope in the lives of children and communities that have lost it. Spiritual Activism is active Compassion. Help us to help them, because from these Seeds, Change will grow.

Uganda Outreach Project

Uganda is a country torn by war, famine and AIDS. The refugee camps in the north are full of displaced children with no means of survival other than hand-outs. They are known in Uganda as the Dying Generation.

The objective of the Uganda Outreach Project is to build a vocational training center for these children that will also help provide ongoing support and sustainability for the community. The Center will consist of a Model Farm, with a Chicken/Egg Production Facility and a Community Farm/Garden. The lessons learned will allow a future of self-sufficiency.

"Give a child a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime."