This article is from page 34 of the 2008-06-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
A CHANCE to help out in one of Africa’s most troubled regions was enough to persuade Ennis woman Sarah Geraghty to spend her summer bem Ose: beler-m
On June 10, 23-year-old Sarah will catch a flight to Nairobi, Kenya be- fore boarding a bus without suspen- sion for a 17-hour trek to neighbour- ing Uganda.
Her destination is Gulu, in the northern part of the country. There, along with four other Irish voloun- teers, Sarah will work with staff from the Gulu Medical Research Centre, in one of the region’s many Internally Displaced Camps (IDC).
The camps are home to thousands
forced to leave their homes as a result of fighting between the Lords Resist- ance Army and the Ugandan govern- ment that has flared since 1986.
Sarah is currently in her third year studying Social Care in the Water- ford Institute of Technology.
Her duties in Gulu will involve counseling AIDS victims, helping at the clinic and distributing clothes and food.
Sarah is expecting a massive cul- ture shock when she gets to Africa.
‘A friend was over there a few years ago and that’s how I heard about it. She told me it’s going to be massive culture but a great experience. She told me it would take a while to get used to everything, the culture, the scenery the way people are treated”.
Doctors with the Gulu Medical Re- search Centre are conducting a study on sexual and gender-based violence in the IDCs. Sarah will contribute by helping to compile data.
She explained, “There is a lot of violence against women in the camps and there are a lot of reasons for this. There are no jobs; people just spend their days in these camps, bored and with nothing to do. Because they have no role men struggle to express their masculinity. It’s a vicious cycle. The doctors are hoping to find a link between the violence towards women and HIV, which is a problem particu- larly in that part of Africa”.
Tensions between the opposing fac- tions have eased though child abduc- tions remain a danger.
Sarah is both nervous and excited loyeltl mst swt Oy
“It’s exciting, I suppose, but it’s also nerve-wracking at the same time. I’ve been told that its one of those things that will really open my eyes. We have it very easy over here com- pared to the lives people have over there. It’s good to be able to go out help people.”
Before setting off Sarah will hold a fundraiser in the Barge Rooms, Ennis on Friday June 6. Tickets are €10 and are available from the Barge Rooms with plenty of music and food on the night.
“T’ve had great support, from my family and loads of others like Ken from Realprint. It should be a good night”’.