Barbara Rivera,
1963 - 1994
Remembered
Emmanuel
International (EI), the organisation I work with, has been in existence
since 1975 in Canada, when it was formed out of the experiences of
the Ethiopian Famine. The UK arm was started in 1978. Since then
many people have gone out to third world countries with EI and worked
in places that are mostly 'off the map'. EI has an ethos blending
'Mission' with relief and development, avoiding separating the one
from the other. And we strongly prefer to work alongside local
church partners.
Of
the many ex-patriots that have been with EI over the years, a few stay long term
but many work for a year or two and move on. Many are young people
starting out on their lives, making the few oldies feel either young
or ancient, depending on their energy levels at
the time!
|
The old EI Compound in Patongo today.
The burned out garage on the left, accommodation on the right |
Back
in 1983 EI established a base in Northern Uganda in a small town
called Patongo among the Acholi people, who were suffering the
effects of internal strife, coupled with lack of development, and
geographical and political remoteness from the capital, Kampala.
The
EI work of health education and care, agricultural development,
relief in famine and war continued from the Patongo base until 2002 when the
LRA rebel group attacked the EI compound, burning the vehicle garage
with the vehicles inside. No one was hurt in the attack but EI
decided to withdraw. The LRA, known for their gruesome brutality were
completely unpredictable; sometimes polite, sometimes murderous.
When
it comes to getting people out to remote places and later getting
them back again, EI has an amazingly good safety record. Only one EI
person has ever died
in the field; Barbara Rivera.
Barbara
joined the EI team in Patongo in 1992. Born in the Philippines in
1963, her father moved to London with his work when she was 10. She
joined EI with experience of teaching Sunday School and a degree in
Herbal Medicine. She wrote of herself in 1994 “I like visiting
people but am actually quite shy and not always talkative! (more of a
listener than a talker) I prefer practical / manual work to written
desk work and can be quite creative when I'm in the mood. I enjoy
being with people but also like my own company.” In Patongo,
Barbara seems to have concentrated on the children. She taught a
regular Sunday school class. The two photos of her were
taken on a day when she and the district nurse were shepherding
children through the bush to keep them safe from a rebel incursion
(they would have abducted the boys as soldiers).
|
The route from Lira.
Ignor the time; Google does not compute dirt roads! |
On
11th
June 1994, just over 20 years ago, Barbara and her
sister, who was
visiting from the UK,
were in Lira, the
nearest big town to the south, looking for transport to take them the
106 km, 3 or 4 hours
to the North East over dirt roads, back
to Patongo. They found
transport in the form of a small petrol driven local truck. As is
normal even today, the polite Africans made space for the two Mzungu (white people) in the cab and the other passengers rode in the open
back. The driver had been drinking. The truck's fuel pump had failed
and the fuel was being gravity fed into the engine's carburettor from
a jerry can in the cab.
The
driver was in a hurry; about
half way, passing
through Rackoko, he did not decelarate as they descended the shallow
valley after the town.
The passengers in the back shouted to the driver to slow down but he
did not react. At the rough and muddy spot at the valley bottom he
lost control, the vehicle left the road and rolled several times,
settling on its side. Amazingly everyone survived the crash but
petrol from the lashed up jerrycan had leaked out. The driver
clambered out in a panic and ran away. The petrol ignited. Barbara, pushing from below, helped the others in the cab escape but could not
get out herself and was overcome. Some youths from the back pulled her out of
the cab; she was
hurried to hospital in Lira but did not survive.
A tragic and devastating loss.
Children
have long memories; and they grow up. Today Barbara's Sunday school
children have grown into responsible adults, knowing that part of who
they are was formed by Barbara. Some of them have gone into local
politics, others into administration, many are no doubt ordinary town
and village folk, most
are churchgoers; but
they have not forgotten. Patongo needed another
Secondary School and
the old Sunday school friends and the older EI staff who knew Barbara
got together and are on the school board. They have named it the
Barbara Rivera Secondary School. It is a local initiative, a work in
progress but it is happening and is a fitting tribute to a herbalist
from London, young woman with a heart for children, a gentle teller
of Bible stories.
The
information in this article was gathered from published EI material,
EI personnel and from an eyewitness, one of the youth in the rear of
the vehicle. If you know any further information or corrections, please let me know.