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By Nabusayi L. Wamboka The Acholi say: Wilobo Peyot (the world is not easy). That saying has taken on even higher meaning because of the terrible war situation in northern Uganda, which has caused suffering and thousands of deaths in Acholi. Some Acholi who fled the war have found refuge under the wings of the most unlikely protector - Kabaka Ronald Mutebi. The king of Buganda is trying to make life worth living for hundreds of Acholi who continue to flee the war-ravaged north.
He gave them land in Banda to settle and rebuild their lives. They are now settled at the 'Acholi Quarters' in Banda on 50 acres donated by Kabaka Mutebi just below his palace in Banda. But while they fled death in Acholi to the relative safety of Kampala, they are slowly being sucked into another death trap as they eke a painful living in stone quarries. The men who dig up and cut the stones are wasting away and dying slowly. The men have chest and lung problems while the women lose their fingers while cutting the stones into the smaller shapes buyers want. "We kill the pain with [drugs]. That is the only way you can go back to work otherwise the chest pain becomes unbearable," says Bashir Shalla, 23. "I am a young man with a wife and child, if I don't work, I will be forced to steal and I really fear that," he adds. Godfrey Omwony, coordinator of Meeting Point, an NGO that works with displaced communities in Kampala, says the main problem is lack of food and proper housing. Rose Busingye, who heads Meeting Point in Kampala, adds that the focus is mainly on fighting HIV/Aids in this sprawling slum where a depressed people will do anything to survive. "Through cultural and social activities, we aim to create awareness of the intrinsic value and dignity of human life," she said in an interview. The displaced people break stones for a living but they do not own the business. Businessmen in Kampala, including the Acholi Quarters LC1 chairman Gabriel Bongomin, own the quarries. Arach, 23, a mother of three is weary. "We don't own anything here.. We come and break the stones from six in the morning to six in the evening. The sun is too much, the dangers too many and the money too little but what can we do?" For each jerry can load of stones, one gets Shs 100. They need 12 cans a day to make Shs 1,200 and 13 hours of work each day. Achiro Ellen, 30, is pregnant and is cuddling her five-year-old daughter. As she worked, a piece of stone from her neighbour whizzed passed her eye startling her. Achiro has already lost one of her fingers while cutting stones. The process itself is laborious. The stonecutters burn used tyres to treat the rocks before they breaking them up. "The biggest challenge is when the walls collapse and bury the men," says Alice Achomo, a woman leader. While describing an experience about life in the Banda �mining� community, Scott Baxter, a volunteer with the Christian NGO Abaana says: "We were shown a mining community, in which the women were forced to work crushing stones. One woman, Grace, had a sad, hollow look. But the hollow _expression on her face was not due to fatigue alone. "One day Grace chose a hollow end to place her child, but instead of receiving safety from the sun in the coolness of its shade, the child died when the cliff face gave way and it was buried at the foot." Everyday the stones cut somebody but there are no medical facilities. If they are minor, they are ignored. Those badly hurt go off work until they can work again. The men's job is crushing, digging and carrying the stones to where the women break them further. "If you try hard you can make10 a day but it is very bad for the chest," Shalla said in an interview. When it rains the quarries get flooded and the uphill task becomes more slippery. Scientists say such workers face death. According to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health, an American organisation, many construction workers are at risk of being exposed to crystalline silica dust through their work, or because they work in areas where this dust is being produced. Crystalline silica is found in bricks, concrete products, stone, rock and abrasives. The dust is released from these materials through dry cutting, grinding, chipping, blasting and sweeping. Exposure to crystalline silica dust can result in serious illnesses - even death. Workers that breathe in the chemical are at an increased risk of developing silicosis (a respiratory lung disease), tuberculosis and lung cancer. Although most cases of silicosis are found in older workers, silicosis related deaths have been documented in workers as young as 30. There have been efforts within the Acholi community to find alternative jobs. The United Youth Action for Progress, an NGO based in Northern Uganda, is encouraging women to take up handcrafts for sale. The youth also wanted to register an organisation, Kony Pacho (Help Home) but the name was rejected by the registrar, as there was already another organisation by the same name. "Now we have settled for Pi Tek (Feeding is difficult). We need something that will bring us together and keep us in touch with our people in Gulu and Kitgum. The Kabaka saved us by giving us this land, we need to help ourselves to survive," Omwony said. |
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