Mennonite Central Committee

First Person: Aromorach Concy

(as told to Tim Shenk)
From the September–October 2008 issue of “A Common Place”

I was visiting my aunt in Attiak village when the Lord’s Resistance Army attacked in 1995. I ran and accidentally fell into a pit latrine that had not been covered. It was a good thing, because I hid there and survived the attack.

When I came out, I saw many dead bodies. I felt like I was the only person left. Most of the people in the village were killed except for pregnant women and young children. About 280 people were killed, including my aunt. I was 16 years old.

I came home to Gulu town. The next year, 1996, was a terrible year here. Seeing dead bodies was the order of the day. Before, when I was young, people moved by foot, even in the night. The only danger was the wild animals, but no human being would harm you.

But by 1996, we heard gunshots each day. Always, we thought somebody must have been killed. If you heard someone was abducted, you’d say, “There is still hope. They may escape.”

Every evening, many people traveled into the center of Gulu where it was safer. They came from villages far and wide. People slept in my church, St. Joseph Cathedral.

The massacre remained in my mind. I kept remembering the dead bodies and even the smell of blood. When I was alone at night, every kind of thought came to my mind, even evil thoughts. Let me say, I was traumatized.

The same year, my father stepped on a land mine, and one of his legs was amputated. He was hospitalized for a long time and I couldn’t see him for weeks. This was very difficult for me.

I joined a youth group at my church. There were 60 people in the group. About 15 to 20 people in the group had been abducted by the LRA for a period of time.

We started growing flowers, trees and potted plants to sell in Gulu. I enjoy growing plants, and it has also reduced my level of stress.

I also attended training sessions on trauma. They have helped me a lot, and there is a great change in me. Nowadays, I don’t get scared like I used to. The stress level and the trauma, they are no longer such a problem. I can overcome them.

I learned that you have to accept what has happened, but there is hope. You should have hope.

When I start thinking too much about painful experiences, I talk to friends. I play with children, and it relieves my stress. And I like football (soccer). I like to watch football, even at midnight, even though I am a lady.

Aromorach Concy learned ways of coping with psychological trauma through training sessions offered by Concerned Parents Association (CPA) with support from MCC. She eventually became a CPA trainer to help communities respond to the needs of people suffering from trauma.