ICC

I've gotten the scoop from those in the know- the day out in Obalanga with the ICC overall went well. But let me back up a little. The ICC is the International Criminal Court. (It is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes- thank you Wikipedia). They are in Uganda due to the situation with the LRA (the satanic militant group). A gathering of delegates were here in Soroti for the day yesterday. International Teams, in partnership with FIDA, works with kids that are affected by the rebels (as former child soldiers or other traumas). This selection of the court came to spend a couple of hours at the mass graves, meet 150 escaped LRA abductees, hear a few of their stories and see their homes. The 12 delegates will join back up with all the rest of the Heads of States in meetings in Kampala over the next several days where Tim will be given an opportunity to present to them more about what is going on here and Beckie will host a booth for more information. For the past several days preparing for their visit and the following conference seems to have consumed all of our time as all of this was all thrown together on very short notice (for us, not the ICC- they knew about it, we didn't.) And we were reminded regularly that this is Africa: the kids all had to be reached- and not just with a quick phone call to their parents, presentations had to be created- but not with a quick stop to office max, transport had to be arranged- really rough roads and some pretty significant distances, and so much more had to be done. I'm not going to go into the food prep for 170, reaching and mobilizing the CAAF (Children Affected by Armed Forces) committee members, running all over Kampala to get security badges and proper documentation, assembling packets to hand out, DVDs to make, and none of it as straight forward as in the states. The power fails, the internet quits, phones don't work and no one in the city carries card stock. It makes me tired again just writing about it. Anyway, Tim and Beckie (and the delegates) are all off to Kampala. We are praying for their continued interactions over the next several day. (maybe Beckie can speak with Kofi Annan) I think life here will settle back down...



These seem to be good articles to explain a little more http://allafrica.com/stories/201005240996.html , and http://256news.com/page.php?aid=1269