Karamoja is found in the North eastern part of Uganda. Its overall population is estimated at about 1.2 million people with about 70 percent residing in rural areas. With more than 27000 square kilometers, this arid expanse of savannah and bush forms the North east edge of Uganda where it borders Kenya and Sudan.
Most of Uganda is lush and green but the Northeast corner is plagued by drought. It is the harshest place in the country to live in with the lowest education levels, the worst health outcomes, a depressed economy, and a high rate of domestic violence.
The Karamojong are nomadic agro-pastoralists known for their love of cattle and their resistance to the trappings of modern civilization. They consist out of numerous tribes and clans that once migrated from modern days Ethiopia including the Masai, Turkana and Nyangatom living on the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. Due to the decades of isolation and their strong believes, the Karamojong people have been able to maintain their ancestral cultural heritage with cultural customs dating back to thousands of years.
The Karamojong have distinctive beauty deals as scarification on the body and faces, usage of colorful beads, the iconic blankets and their traditional dances shows. They show great similarities to the renowned Masai in Kenya.
Despite its challenges, Karamoja has great potential as a tourist hub, most popular is Kidepo National park that boosts of a variety of animals, including the lions, cheetahs, elands and elephants and the extra-ordinary features in Karamoja shape its outstanding beauty.
WOMEN IN KARAMOJA NEED OUR PRAYERS.
When this year was starting, the Lord laid it in our hearts to visit this great and vast region of Karamoja and what we found there moved our hearts to the core.
There are many communities that have no schools at all. Many of these children just don’t have schools to go to. Even those in schools, they have to walk up to 12 miles to go to school.
With little to eat, many children face malnutrition, there is a lot of premature death in children and women have difficult in child bearing. Normally, its women and children who often bear the burden of all responsibilities, while their husbands are away from home keeping cattle. Its women who have to look after the house, cook, collect firewood, fetch water from a long distance and take care of their children.
WATER CRISIS:
Water is the biggest problem in the whole region. Many women and children have to walk up to 3 hours one way, just to get 5 gallons of dirty water in a hot sun. Many face a lot of problems along the way like rape, defilement and some are killed along the way.
NEEDS FOR KARAMOJA:
There is need to do many water wells for Karamoja this year. Companies can’t go to Karamoja because it is very far; they will need at least 10 wells to go there. To achieve this, we shall need our own rig as a ministry. Owning one will cut off the cost of drilling a well but one gets to drill many wells in a shortest time possible.
Please pray for us to own the above rig.
Most of all those children don’t go to school because there is no school in their area.
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