The Thunder Rolls...

And the lightning strikes. It’s been some insane weather here in Uganda. As a Florida girl, I am used to my fair share of crazy thunder and lightning, but this weather has even me shaking in my boots at different times. Last year, we experienced some heavy rains, but this year seems more frequent and is followed by booming thunder that will shake buildings and people to their very core. The thunder is quickly followed by lightning that feels as if it has invaded our home because it is so close and intense. Shortly after experiencing a few of these storms, we started hearing stories of people who died from being struck by lightning: mothers walking with children at Pece stadium which is not many paces away. Then, we heard about a couple of boys who were struck by lightning at Sir Samuel Baker (one of Invisible Children’s partner schools where my friends Lance and Justine are working). The boys were okay, but then everyone started to question the safety of the schools. The boys were rioting against the Deputy Headmaster (second in command at the schools). The riots usually involve violence, and in this case was extended to the Deputy Headmaster’s children (his daughter of about 1 or 2 years was punched and stomach and then brought to the hospital). Later, three girls at Keyo (another partner school where my friends Lauren, Bill, and Joe are working) were struck with lightning while trying to get their clothes and then find shelter from the storm. Two of them died instantly, and the third landed in ICU. One of the girls who was killed was a beneficiary of a scholarship from Invisible Children’s program. During our conference, Jolie asked us all to have a time of reflections for the past year, from these recent deaths to the death of Nate Henn who died in the bombings last year. Jolie also added that some of the funds for rebuilding the partner schools would be used for safety, and they were looking into installing proper weather protection. In a time of rebuilding and working towards peace there are still times of pain. It reminds us all how far Uganda has come, and how much further this community has to go.