Sister Pauline Silver Acayo, a Catholic Relief Services' Peacebuilding Officer in Uganda, spoke at Leadership Hall on Friday to discuss the current peacebuilding efforts in Uganda.
Acayo has been working as a Peacebuilding Officer in Uganda since 2002. She started her presentation with the background of Uganda.
She noted that since 1986, Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army Rebel group was fighting against the government of Uganda.
Although the Rebel's initial purpose was to overthrow the government and rule by the 10 Commandments, the reality of the situation was that kidnapping, village attacks and atrocities were prevalent in Uganda. Therefore, many people were forced to live in camps, and today the situation remains devastating.
The effect of the war has been disastrous, resulting in the displacement of over two million people, a high poverty rate, poor hygiene and widespread transmission of HIV and AIDS.
Acayo's peacebuilding projects include initiatives that promote dialogue and mediation among the various ethnic groups in northern Uganda.
Formally a high-school teacher, Acayo started to get involved in peace missions in northern Uganda because of her personal experience with the rebels, after her brother was abducted there.
She came to realize that helping others mattered a great deal to her.
She also works closely with the community to support reintegration of formally abducted people, to foster youth leaders to increase conflict resolution skills and to take initiative on forming peace committees in schools and communities.
With her work, Acayo hopes to reintegrate the rebels and train many people as peace builders for the future.
Attendants of the Fox Leadership-sponsored lunch greatly appreciated her comments. College junior Emily Szelest said, "It was amazing. I could see the importance of peace. I realized that human interaction is more important than military intervention or money."
College senior Dave Weinreb agreed, adding that "I enjoyed learning politics and history from somebody who works in developing world to bring peace."
"I wonder if Penn students care about people in Uganda," Acayo added. "I wish that Penn students are aware of what's happening in Uganda and understand the effects of the war."
