Today marks the end to our first week in Gulu and our first week working with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It has been quite an adjustment transitioning from our stay in Kigali to Gulu, as the two cities contrast greatly. Kigali is the capital of Rwanda and thus has a much larger population than Gulu. Further, from what I have seen Gulu is more of a rural city, and it is definitely much warmer than it was in Kigali. Despite the differences between the two cities we are starting to settle in to our new home for the next two weeks, part of which has included getting oriented to our non- profits.

Twelve study abroad students are divided among three different local NGOs: Grassroots Reconciliation Group, Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives, and St. Monica’s tailoring school for girls. We aren’t trying to do “mission work” or think these people need our help, because that is not our role nor our mindset. We are working as interns for these NGOs doing whatever work we are given for what is required. It is more of a learning experience than anything. The organization for which I am interning Grassroots Reconciliation Group. Its mission is to reintegrate and facilitate the integration of former child soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army into their communities in Northern Uganda. For our first full day the program director for GRG (Maggie) and the current intern (Jacob) came to our compound to meet with us. Maggie discussed her ideas and goals she has for us for the next few weeks. Going into the internship  I wasn’t sure what to expect, I thought each of our organizations would be prepared with a plan of exactly what they needed us to do. That was the structure I had also been used to whenever I had done any type of volunteer work, but interning for a nonprofit is not like volunteering at your hometown church.

The experience we gain from our time at the NGOs is purely based on how much we put into it. The work is heavily based on our own interests. We have had to come up with our own ideas for what we want to do with the refugees and reconciled peoples in Northern Uganda and within the Palabek refugee camp near the South Sudanese border. I am particularly interested in the opportunity to do field work in the future at the Palabek camp. Our project manager told us that we will be going in pairs and staying there for two nights each to work with the refugees mainly from South Sudan. The opportunity to work with these refugees and find out more about their lives to see what GRG can do to help in the reconciliation process is a once in a lifetime experience that I hope to participate in.

Kathlene Dorking is a CofC sophomore and a Political Science Major