Just in from Kampala—from our very own Richard Lane
Have just arrived in Uganda to accompany the human rights charity HART on a trip to northern Uganda. This all started a year ago when HART’s chief exec’ Caroline Cox guided me off a train at Taunton, UK! 12 months on we are part of a small group of charity workers, health-workers and a human-rights lawyer heading to northern Uganda to aid a humanitarian aid effort after a decade of civil conflict between government militia and the Lords resistance army; fortunately the combat has died down over the past few months. But the legacy is horrendous—tens of thousands of local people living in camps, chilldren orphaned by the death of their parents from the civil conflict, or from HIV/AIDS which although under reasonable control in some of Uganda remains a constant threat in the forgotten north. But that all lies ahead. Today has been a gentle introduction to ‘the pearl of Africa’ (as Winston Churchill called Uganda), a lush landscape in the capital Kampala, just a few miles north of the equator, nestling against Lake Victoria. Tomorrow the hard work starts when we fly north to Patongo district. More blogs to follow, and an upcoming feature in The Lancet’s World Report section, not to mention audio highlights of the trip on thelancet.com. Richard Lane