A tale of a child mother in Acholi
\By twaha Namakola <http://district9211rotarian.com/author/twaha/> <http://district9211rotarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mother.jpg> Jenifer Atim and her children infront of their home in Gulu. She is 19 years old. There are many girls like her in Gulu, who are trying to better their lives through the group, Warojo Kwo Wa. Photo by Aggrey Nshekanabo. A tale of a child mother in Acholi At 19 years, Jenifer Atim is a mother of four. Two of the children were sired by an LRA rebel, whom she refuses to name, while she was in rebel captivity. She says it does not matter. While in captivity, four rebels fought over her and upon escape, a government soldier took her on for a wife and it was by miracle that she escaped the chains of the soldier. He never ceased calling her a prostitute. Today, she is married to a one Opoka but it has been a hell of a relationship, and she has attempted to kill herself thrice only to be rescued by the neighbours. The LRA rebels abducted her at the age of nine from her village of Lakwana in Omoro County with eight other girls, 12 boys and six grown up men. But not before she witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of the rebels; she was chopped into pieces and Atim was ordered to pack her dismembered body into a sisal sack. Her father, who witnessed the murder of his wife, is now a little deranged and violent. That was in 2003. She narrates what transpired after that; >From our village, we walked carrying loads of the rebels loot up to Odek village in Lango region, east of Amoro and then headed northwards and settled in Kitgum, close to South Sudan in the rebel camp. Life in captivity I was handed over to an old man for a wife. He was a big man in the rebel camp. He did not have another woman. The day I was handed over to him, he raped me that night and I bled for nearly a month and was sick in the tummy and could not walk on my own. I was laughed at by other rebels that I am just a foolish girl and that with time; I would be a good wife to the old man. There were other young girls we found in the camp who were wives of soldiers. Whenever this old man returned from the war front, he always buried all his anger in between my legs. I hated him so much but I had nothing to do. I would be washing or doing something else but if he wanted to have sex, I had to leave whatever I was doing and enter the hut. Later, some other rebels wanted me to be their wife. At that time I had already conceived and produced two children with the old man. The other young rebels wanted to kill the old man so that I become their wife. They always quarrelled with the old man over me. They would point guns at each other. In fact, one young rebel suggested that they should kill me instead of them killing each other. Escape from captivity Another rebel soldier who did not want me to die arranged for my escape very early in the morning at about 4am. He told me his background, where he comes from and said if I met anyone who asked me where I were going, I should tell that person that I am his wife and I am going to his village with his children. I do not know if he is still alive or dead now. As I walked all night from Kitgum towards Gulu. The old man of a husband learnt of my escape and he ordered the young rebel fighters to set the bush on fire so that I get burnt. I do not know if he is still alive or dead now. As I walked all night from Kitgum towards Gulu. The old man of a husband learnt of my escape and he ordered the young rebel fighters to set the bush on fire so that I get burnt. I ran as far as my legs could carry me, meanwhile, I had my luggage and my two young children. I later ran into some homestead. The owner of the house, took me to an army detach. The head of the army detach wanted me for his wife too! There was no woman in the army detach. Since government soldiers were not allowed to stay with women, I was helped to reach Gulu town. As I walked through Gulu town, I heard Acholi music playing and that music reminded me of home in Lakwana. Returning home My father had married another wife but he beat her every day. I was never welcomed back home. Many times, my father attempted to kill me. He never accepted my two children to call him grandpa. That he cannot be a grandpa of children sired by rebels. I had to run away from home when my father tried to kill my children. For two months, I was just a vagabond with my two children until I reached Koro Kal trading centre, which is about six kilometres from Gulu town on Kampala Road. That is where I met my current husband who took me in with my children. He had separated from his first wife, who left him with many children and could not cook for them decent meals. But this new husband has been abusive and keeps reminding me of how I got children with rebels. Yet I had told him my whole story. Renewing her life Late last year, Atim joined Warojo Kwo Wa womens Group, which is composed of 45 child mothers and is being supported by Send a Cow Uganda, a local NGO. The NGO has linked the child mothers to community mentors, who are themselves in a group. They are trained in music dance, song and drama and today, the group sings and dances at functions on how they are renewing their lives and how others can overcome the trauma. They are also taught on how to grow vegetables, which they sell in Gulu town. They market their vegetables as a group. They are also taught issues of home hygiene and sanitation, group cohesion, family and community relations, savings and credit, better feeding for their children and themselves and other social challenges faced by young mothers. Today, Atims husbands attitude is slowly changing for the better towards her and her children. He helped her construct a chicken house to rear chicken. They have two children together and Atim cares and loves her step children. Now that she earns from the sale of vegetables and slowly integrating in the community, there is greater hope between the couple. Atims dreams She prays and dreams of a time her husband will respect her and love her for who she is since she did not choose to produce children with the rebels. She dreams of the day her husband will stop being abusive and accept the children she had with the rebels as his own. She hopes to improve and contribute to the familys income and nutrition. She hopes to have productive assets like a cow, be able to send all children to school and have an iron roofed house. <mailto:editor...@ug.nationmedia.com> editor...@ug.nationmedia.com EM On the 49th Parallel Thé Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy" Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi "Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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