Karamoja

Just doing a little reading on Karamoja (this is the region in Uganda about 5 hours from where I currently live that I feel I may be living and working in the future) and wanted to share a little of what I'm learning.

Child Trafficking

On certain days of the week, you can buy a Karamojong child at the cattle markets along the Uganda-Kenya border. Price: About $160. Destination: The child will probably be forced to beg on the streets of Kampala, perhaps being beaten throughout the day, because a crying child stirs the sympathy of bypassers more effectively. All earnings will go to the child's master, while the child will be forced to subsist in dismal and unsafe conditions.

The Karamoja Area

Karamoja is a desolate cattle raising area in the northeast corner of Uganda, bordering on Sudan and Kenya-- a vast plain, separated from the Kenya border by rugged mountains. The area is well-populated with about 846,000 people, which is 2 to 3% of the population of Uganda.

The Karamojong are a semi-nomadic cattle-raising people (and often a cattle-stealing people) who cling vehemently to their traditional ways. They are related to the Turkana and Masaai people across the Kenyan border and to other tribes in southern Sudan.

The Karamojong and Their Love Affair with Cattle
The Karamojong believe in “the divine right of cattle”, that is, they believe God has assigned all cattle in the world to them and they therefore have a God-given right to all cattle. Unfortunately, neighboring tribes in Kenya, also have the same conviction, leading to inevitable conflicts over cattle. There are almost as many cattle in some areas of Karamoja as there are people. Some crops are also raised, like some grains, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and beans. However, repeated shortage of rainfall in recent years has devastated this part of the economy, as well as one of the few industries—grain milling. Traditional Karamojong food consists of milk mixed with defibrinated blood, supplemented with meat from animals that died naturally, grain or beans.

Gospel to the Karamojong
Gospel witness to the Karamojong has been vastly insufficient. Much still remains to be done to reach the Karamojong. Evangelicals are less than 2% of the population, with the vast majority clinging to traditional religion.

I read about stuff like this and wonder if I really actually want to get involved?! This is hard crap to deal with!