Participants traveled to Paicho IDP camp on Friday morning to tour the camp with resident leaders and experience firsthand the conditions that have been called one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. Lacere Richard, a Paicho resident that runs a small pharmacy and just completed his studies in nursing, led small groups of participants through the camp.

Paicho camp was established in 1996 and is home to about 11,000 displaced northern Ugandans, some half of which are children. Conditions are characteristic of the more impoverished camps in the region – conditions are congested, disease is rampant, residents lack security, children are malnourished, and there are precious few opportunities for earning an income. One of the biggest economic activities in the camp is the production (and consumption) of local brew.

However, with progress in the peace process, many of the adults in the camp have started returning to dig their ancestral lands. They leave in the morning and return to Paicho in the late afternoon. While this is a sign of hope for resettlement, it presents another layer of complexity in the already difficult situation – what about all of the unsupervised children in the camp? Participants noticed the high percentage of children running around the camp. After visiting Paicho, participants assembled in a large field to play impromptu games, providing entertainment and activity for the kids.