Uganda (MNN) — Yesterday marked the passage of the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, sending the legislation to President Obama's desk to be signed into law, according to John Prendergast, co-founder of ENOUGH, an anti-genocide project.
Obama's signature will hopefully mark the end of Africa's longest insurgency, stretching across the past two decades.
Even prior to the passage of this bill, stability has begun to creep into Northern Uganda, as certain areas are beginning to see some sense of normalcy.
To aid this process, Worldwide Christian Schools Uganda wants to restore even more normalcy through education. So far, they have "determined communities in Northern Uganda as target communities to re-establish or put schools in for the first time … that have been ravaged by the civil conflict with the rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army," said Dale Dieleman of WWCS.
To begin with, they have selected 15 communities where 25 percent of the kids are orphans. However, in a land that's known nothing but war for over 20 years, individuals may struggle with how to adapt to the coming peace, especially the children who were part of the Lord's Resistance Army. Dieleman said WWCS is asking "how the Christian school can be salt and light in that community, even addressing the child soldier issue: how do you reintegrate children who have carried machine guns instead of pencils?"
Already they are working with over 100 kids in one area. Currently, they meet in a house with only three teachers. Dieleman said they have been blessed with teachers who are committed to Christ and have made sacrifices of time and money to impact these children.
Later this year, WWCS plans to begin the bulk of this project, and in one community the church has donated property for a school. Before they begin, Dieleman believes there needs to be unity among all the believers: "That spirit of unity really is key to the success of everything," he said.
Ultimately through this unity, they hope to show Christ to the lost and hurting Ugandans.
Pray for WWCS as they begin this project, along with the many challenges they will encounter. Pray for unity and for wisdom among the teachers.
