Borderlands

The Sanchez Family

Newsletter: Special

Report. The situation

in Northern Uganda,

and our vision to bring

the love of Christ and

humanitarian aid

Borderlands: Special Report October 2017

June 7, 2017- South Sudanese refugee children walk to Ombechi kindergarten in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement.

Uganda practices what the world is calling a “compassionate” refugee policy, and with refugee families given plots of land and most of the same basic rights as local citizens, it is a relatively generous policy indeed. We have been told that the area is experiencing serious food and water shortages due to drought and lack of funds. Many refugee children do not attend school, and those who do doodle in the sand under a tattered leaky tent because they have neither pencil nor paper nor desk. As the sheer number of people strains local resources, conflicts are starting to break out between

refugees and the locals who have otherwise been welcoming throughout the crisis. The statistics are staggering. Over 2,000 refugees arrive in Uganda daily. Over eighty-six percent are women and children. Many walked days through the bush to get to the Ugandan border and witnessed cruel brutality and death along the way. The situation is frustrating and overwhelming for everyone involved, and seemingly hopeless to some. However, the good news is that the Gospel continues to bring hope and peace. The Lord is not finished with Uganda.

The future of Northern Uganda: Inside the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis

Courtesy: theguardian.com

Borderlands: Special Report October 2017

Class takes place under a shade tree at one of Bidi Bidi’s primary schools

A single mom after soldiers killed her husband washes clothes next to others

Courtesy: theguardian.com Courtesy: theguardian.com

As of June 2017

Table courtesy UNHCR

The UN Refugee Agency

Borderlands: Special Report October 2017

We are Sal and Heather Sanchez. In early 2018 we, with our three daughters, will be moving to Arua, a city in northwestern Uganda and strategically close to both the Congolese and South Sudanese borders. We'll primarily be working with the refugee population, comprised of both foreigners and internally displaced Ugandans. With Northwest Uganda still recovering from a three-decade civil war raged by the guerrilla group and cult, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and genocide and crisis to the north and west accounting for an additional 2,000-plus foreign refugees daily, in a region with diminishing resources, the situation, we are told, is declining quickly. Civil war, radical Islamic violence, famine and ethnic-targeted violence are the primary reasons most refugees have fled to Uganda. The World Food Program and other NGO’s are striving to meet people’s basic physical needs, but even that is not always possible due to a serious lack of funding and the rapid growth of the settlements. However, an enormous unmet need in the region is help for the traumatized. Most refugees are women and children who fled amongst, what the UNHCR calls, “barbaric violence.” Emotional and psychological scars are evident everywhere. Reports talk of three-year-olds who are perpetually silent and sit drawing in the sand or staring into the sky all day. The vast majority do not think past getting food and surviving another day. Their future and hope are fast diminishing. Our first of two primary goals are these: to reach children and youth who are among the most troubled, traumatized and desperate, introduce them to Jesus Christ, see them restored and offer them a second chance at a hope and a future. We serve a God who values the one, and we intend to take that restorative message to those hurting the most. Our second goal, also vastly important, is to partner with YWAM to fill the spiritual vacuum in the refugee camps with the Gospel before an alternative belief system beats us to it. We are certified through the University of the Nations in family and trauma counseling and have specialized training in human trafficking in the areas of prevention and restoration. We’ve also served in international missions in Central and South America since 2009 and recently returned to the US from Buenos Aires, Argentina where we lived and worked with street children. Our long term goal in Uganda is to establish a restorative program for traumatized children and a "children's village". We would help with family restoration when possible for students who complete the program. Through local and international partnerships our intention is to assure each child is offered necessary resources (educational, training, health, etc.) to succeed in life and become examples of godly leadership within their community whether they become farmers, the President, or anything in between.

During our first two years we will be serving with YWAM in a variety of ways including working in the refugee camps. This introductory period allows us to become established, better understand local worldview, language and culture

One of the many Southern Sudanese child refugees. Children make up 60% of the entire Ugandan refugee population

Borderlands: Special Report October 2017

and gain acceptance from the community which is vitally important in a land where people identify themselves primarily along ethnic and tribal lines.

Many people are moved when they hear about the atrocious suffering in places like South Sudan, and Uganda but feel powerless to do anything about it. If the plight of the people caught up in the crisis we’ve described has moved your heart to compassion, we invite you to partner with us. Our current needs are prayer,

finances and practical items. As YWAM

missionaries, we are responsible for covering our own ministry-related expenses as well as basic living needs. We rely on the prayer and financial support of our

partners to do what we do. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us so that we might minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people of northern Uganda.

Thank you so much for checking out our newsletter and may God bless you.

Get Involved: Make a difference

YWAM AruaA Bridge of Healing

YWAM Arua is called to be a bridge of healing to the nations. We specifically feel called to minister in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic as well as locally in Northern Uganda. Our vision is to rebuild broken lives, restore hope and equip the church for the discipling of the nations. The base is quite multicultural with around 40 members of staff coming from Uganda, Congo, Britain, South Sudan and Australia. We are also multigenerational, with a mix of families, young people and older people too. The base has a community feel to it and with its beautiful grounds is a peaceful place to stay.

~ Story and photo compliments YWAM Arua

Contact Information

The Sanchez FamilyEmail: hsanchez5811@gmail.com

Phone/text: +1 307 6962228Website: http://lovestrainingground.com

Please see our website to subscribe to regular updates, get information on financial giving and partnerships as well as

how to ship us needed items. Thank you and God bless.

Borderlands: Special Report October 2017

Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda “In the world you have

tribulation, but take

courage, I have

overcome the world”

~Jesus(John 16:33b)

NASBCourtesy: theguardian.com