Visit to one of the camps

Went to Awer IDP camp today to the north (for those who want to bust out the map), this camp was made up of 30,000 displaced people. There were a few people that went up there with us (Adam and I) but we had different objectives while we were there. We were going there with a group to look at the current water situation for the camp, I guess a few of the water pumps were broken and some of the water wells weren’t sanitary. Of course when we show up, millions of kids rush up like were rock stars…we are far from it though. With 30,000 people in the camp and only 4 wells out of the 7 that were working, the situation wasn’t good at all. It is such a shame that I can’t just look past all the never ending poverty and just enjoy the countryside because it basically is the prettiest thing I’ve seen, but situation is a reality check to how the war is affecting these people. These people had no choice living they way they are. What is there to do when you have 30,000 people in a camp that couldn’t be that much bigger than my block back at home, not being allow to leave because if you did you are considered a rebel and then shot, so with nothing happening in the camp but boredom comes the drinking. There is some alarming statistic, though it escapes at the moment the exact number, but close to 80% of the population in the camps are alcoholic. With alcoholism comes a wide array of problems, and just remember…basically there aren’t any choices for these people being put in this situation, they own destiny has been taken out of their hands. Through all of this, the kids are so stoked to just chill with outsiders, though one thing that I did notice about some of the children that was disturbing (aside from many not having clothes, pot bellies from malnourishment, and 100% lack of parental supervision) was kids no older than 6 or 7 taking kids as young as 5-6 months old. Tried to get a decent picture, but not the greatest, you get the picture though. There were a bunch of these “kids taking care of kids”. I’ve come to assume that the normal age that the parental units letting go of their children for the real world is around 17-22 years old, here it is about 1-8 years old. Here is a video of me walking in one of the camps on my way to check out a water well.

Well…that is all for now

Cheers,

Scott

I am the one of the right.