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A group of young Australians have recently returned from Uganda - bringing stories of death-defying road rules, child soldiers and the beauty of the Nile.

Their two-week trip to the troubled African country saw them visit sites of great despair - and also of great hope - as they explored the aid and development work of Caritas Australia.

Uganda is a landlocked country between Sudan in the north, Rwanda in the South , Kenya in the east and Democratic Republic of Congo in the west.  The country has suffered a brutal conflict over the last 20 years.  Amid the violence, guerilla rebels the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have committed terrible atrocities against civilians. Thousands of men, women and children have been massacred, tortured or mutilated and many villages have been destroyed. The LRA has continued its army by abducting children, who are then forced to fight as soldiers, carry ammunition and supplies and become sex slaves for LRA soldiers. 

A group of seven students from Notre Dame University, Western Australia explored crucial issues during the trip, including internally displaced people, food security, sustainable agriculture and water supply.
Arts student Greg Strangman said meeting Ugandans who were living in refugee camps – after fleeing their homes in fear - had opened his eyes to the hardships of life in a conflict zone.

"They told us how they had been separated from their families and how they had all been affected by war," the 21-year-old says.
"A lot of them were skilled workers - like a lawyer - but they were not able to practice [their profession] where they were."

The group also talked to people who had been child soldiers and had since participated in a program funded by Caritas Australia, which helps to rehabilitate and reunite them with their community.
"It was good to hear their stories. It was good they could share their stories with us, after all the trauma they had been through," Greg said.

It's important for young Australians to learn more about the issues of social injustice around the world, Greg says, and to realize the power they have to do something about it.  Greg has made a short online movie of the Uganda trip.  You can join the 'Project Compassion 2008' Facebook group to see the video, a photo gallery and to talk to students from the Uganda trip about their experiences.

"It's easy for people to join the group and it will be interesting to chat to people from all around Australia," Greg said.

Click here to join the Facebook group - search for Project Compassion 2008 to find the group!

Meet Claire

Twenty-year-old Arts and Law student Claire Harris said the Uganda trip has confirmed her passion for work in the aid and development sector, and had changed the way she thinks about things in her everyday life.

Claire was struck by the difference between two refugee camps the group visited.
One which has only recently become supported by the Caritas network - and another which has been supported for several years.
“The first one was a Congolese refugee camps, and the people there were despairing,” Claire said.
“The violence in their country [the Democratic Republic of Congo] is getting worse. They all seemed depressed – it was really heart-breaking. They weren’t wanting to go back home to their country, they wanted to get refugee status and move to another country”.

The group then visited a second camp for Internally Displaced People – those seeking refuge inside their own country.

“The women at that camp were looking after 500 orphans – and some had their own children too.”
“There was much more hope.
“The civil war that displaced these people has been going for 20 years, and some of them have been at the camp for a very long time. But the women’s group there was remarkable and together the group had achieved a lot.

The group also saw sustainable agriculture projects where farmers had learnt how to increase their crop yield and other community projects aimed at helping people to increase their skills and income.

Join the free group Project Compassion 2008 on www.Facebook.com to meet Greg, Claire and others and find out how you can help change the world! Go to Facebook and search for 'Project Compassion 2008' to find the group!