JOSEPHINE ' S STORY
Rock Quarries The strenuous labor begins at 5 a . m . and doesn ' t stop until evening . It is back-breaking work . A report from the Daily Monitor describes a typical day in the quarry , " Here generations have devoted their lives to the back-breaking occupation that is crushing the massive granite and dolomite rocks spread out over the more than 100 acres of land that rolls down the chain of hills . Dozens of women burrow deep in the caves while young boys hurl rocks out into the open where others wait to haul them to form piles . More sit out in the sweltering open-air with different kinds and sizes of hammers and huge rocks , unrelentingly hitting at the rocks . They crash the rocks into tiny fragments to make gravel . This will be collected by middlemen in their trucks to feed into the flourishing construction industry in the country ."
These refugees make 100 Uganda shillings , about 6 U . S . cents , for every 5-gallon bucket they fill with chipped rocks . With no safety code or protective gear , injuries , rock falls , and even death are common .
ADVOCACY
Today , Uganda shows some signs of improvement , even though the economy is still weak . The Red Cross has returned to Uganda after being absent for 2 decades . Rebel activity continues sporadically and scattered human rights violations still occur , but not to the magnitude of six , ten or twenty years ago .
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Get involved and take action . Support ALARM ' s ( African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries ) work in central Africa and help to make a difference in a refugee ' s life .
www . alarm-inc . org
Sources : www . pustakalaya . org / wiki / wp / l / Lord % 2527s _ Resistance _ Army _ insurgency . htm
www . migrationpolicy . org / article / surrounded-women-and-girls-northern-uganda
www . monitor . co . ug / SpecialReports / 688342-1085420-item-01-gfgnu5z / index . html
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A woman crushing large rocks with a hand-made hammer in an Ugandan rock quarry . Credit : Fashion & Compassion
JOSEPHINE ' S STORY
" Josephine used to work in the stone quarry , crushing rocks into tiny gravel-sized pieces for hours on end . She didn ' t have a choice because she ' s the provider for the family , her husband ' s primary caregiver , and a mother of three . She ' s also raising five nieces and nephews - her sister was killed by the LRA during an attack on their village . Somehow the bills still needed to be paid , the kids needed to go to school , and of her nieces , Concy , needed major surgery to correct her bowels . Josephine did what she had to in order to make ends meet , but
when she joined the jewelry project and began receiving wages , her family ' s quality of living significantly changed . Fashion & Compassion also had the privilege to pay for Concy ' s surgery , which ultimately saved her life . - Testimony from Fashion & Compassion
ISSUE 04 | WINTER 2017