By Sr. Julienne Bouda, Ukusijoni Community, Uganda
Amidst the large population of Maaji Refugee Settlements, the majority are children, women and youth, with fewer men.
Some are widows, but others have husbands in South Sudan who are working to help their families in Uganda, which is sometimes not obvious. So women remain the breadwinners. This is a challenge for many who try their best to earn a living by doing casual work, renting land for farming, brewing the local beer or relying on the little or nothing their husbands can send. This makes it very difficult to provide for their children’s formal education, health, food and clothing.
A family in Maaji is made up of relatives, but also of adopted orphaned children who were separated from their families while fleeing the war.
Nowadays, life is even harder for the refugee women, as the UNHCR ratios are being reduced and others are being phased out, as they fall into the third category of those who can no longer benefit from what the UN has to offer.
Seeing their struggles, as a joint team of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and the Missionaries of Africa, we are invited to journey with them to see together how to empower them in different ways, sometimes in a very humble way.
After starting a pilot project of making rosaries with the faithful of one chapel, we realised that it was a need for them and we extended it to four other chapels. They were happy and grateful to learn. It is inspiring to see that the women, through their willingness and eagerness to learn new things, have hope and trust in what we propose as a way of teaching them that is within our reach.
As we journey together, we are still exploring new ways of doing the handicrafts with the hope of improving their lives, developing their talents, but also these handicrafts are occupational therapy as they are very happy to see the product of their hands.
These women, full of faith and respect, attentive and sensitive to what is around them, do not ask us for material goods, but are happy to learn what they can do themselves to earn a living.
The women of the settlements speak loudly in silence when we see their struggles for life, and we listen to their silent cries.
