Apeal For Emergency Relief

More than 1.6 Million Civilians, including many Children & women, have been internally displaced due to the 18 years Lords Resistance Army civil conflict. Thousands of innocent Civilians killed, maimed, women raped and over 20,000 children abducted since the beginning of the conflict in 1986.

The Acholi region in Northern Uganda has experienced massive displacement, social upheavals and economic stagnation as a result of internal civil conflict, since 1986. An estimated 1.2 million people in Northern & Eastern Uganda are internally displaced.

The region has undergone a civil conflict between the government and Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group whose beliefs are rooted in Christian fundamentalist doctrines and traditional religions seeking to establish its own rules basing on the Bible’s Ten Commandments. The Humanitarian situation in Northern/Eastern Uganda has degenerated to deplorable emergency levels, with the LRA rebels having burnt down villages, destroyed properties, food crops and abducted children. The people have abandoned their homes and their property fleeing from the LRA attacks.

AYM Uganda’s primary interest in the context of emergency relief efforts lies in the area of "recovery" work. Assisting communities in turning "vulnerabilities into capacities" is of great interest to the agency. Often traumatic events provide wonderful opportunities for new beginnings, and helping people to take advantage of these opportunities can be an important first step in undertaking long-term development commitments.

The people of Acholi have lost access to cultivation fields & income generating activities leading to a situation of total dependency and a need for assistance. Parents cannot anymore afford to provide for their Children in terms of food, education & medical. Majority of parents have abandoned their villages, and camps due to lack of food, inadequate security and overcrowding and they moved to the municipality (Gulu) where security is fairly assured. An estimated number of 60% children survive on one meal per day, which is either served at school or home, while a big number of children survive without a single meal the entire day.

Overseas relief delivery organizations operating in and around the war zone of Northern Eastern Uganda have worked desperately to prevent a catastrophe of enormous proportions.

Overseas relief delivery organizations operating in and around the war zone of Northern Eastern Uganda have worked desperately to prevent a catastrophe of enormous proportions.

These agencies have mobilized their resources and have delivered services in those areas that they can safely access. Sadly, the continuation & magnitude of the crisis far exceeds the resources available, both to provide emergency relief now, and rebuilding Northern/Eastern Uganda when the war ceases

The future of the people of the Northern/Eastern Uganda, and the legacy of the current conflict, depends upon the level of our response today - regardless of our nationality, religion or position on the war. The people of Northern Uganda urgently need help, and we can't deliver that help without you.

Africa Youth Ministries is relying on the generosity of the people of America and the world to provide the resources for this vital and difficult mission. We need your help today to deliver food, health care, scholastic materials, used clothes, tents and tarpaulins, agricultural tools and seeds to displaced families. Your help can literally mean the difference between life and death for the innocent families struggling amid this conflict.

You can make a difference.

• Educate your family and friends about the crisis in Northern Uganda by sharing this letter with congregations, foundations, trusts, churches, ngo’s, associates, friends and family throughout the world
• Keep up-to-date on this crisis by visiting www.aymu.org.
• Be generous with your support - every dollar counts.

Together, we can make a global impact.