HHF-Africa

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

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

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:

http://www.whitefeatherfoundation.com

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.

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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

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