Uganda

Nakivale, Uganda: report by Fraide Emmanuel Kibibi

We had a wonderful time at our SOPP celebration on the 21st of May. It took place at Nakivale Refugee Camp, one of the largest refugee camps in Africa, with more than 60,000 refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan. Many of the refugees are widows, single mothers, or orphaned children.

As at most of the gatherings I hold there, we talked about cultivating peace of mind, and we focused mostly on teachings of peace and forgiveness. We selected representatives from each country, who talked about their lives in the camp and what is going on in their countries back home, and together we prayed for peace to prevail on earth.

Since all these people are here in the camp not because they want to be but because of conflicts taking place in their countries that caused them to abandon their homes, it is often very emotional when I talk to them about forgiveness and inner peace. But still, we focus on peace, and I encourage them to pray that all countries in the world will be totally peaceful.

I also talked about the Fuji Declaration and its values, and explained that other people the world over are also praying for them, which made them feel happy. We prayed for all nations and sang peaceful songs, holding each other’s hands as one family of people from different faiths. In that process, all of us felt a sense of oneness and unity in peace. All in all, we all felt happy and gave each other encouragement. After our prayers I distributed some clothing I had brought for them from friends. In conclusion we gave thanks and shared our peaceful vibrations with the world, praying May peace prevail on Earth. I will continue holding these gatherings as often as I am able to do so.

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