Child Sacrifice in Lugazi

Today's post may be a little disturbing for some readers.

Wednesday saw Sonia and I travel with the KCM End Child Sacrifice (ECS) team to Lugazi (two-thirds of the way to Jinja).

From media reports a father had sacrificed his eldest son.

The landscape of the Lugazi district is very similar to that of Childers and Bundaberg. There is a tapestry of sugar cane and tea plantations scattered throughout the area.

When we arrived in Lugazi (about one and a half hours drive east of Kampala) we asked the locals where to find the family who had lost their son earlier in the week. Suffice to say that we were quickly directed to the sugar cane paddock where the boy's body was found. We then drove to the family home to speak with the parents. They had relocated to the grandparents village where they had buried the body on Tuesday.

When we arrived at this village there were about 50 or 60 people mingling around the home grieving with the family.

The ECS team interviewed the father before walking to the burial site to interview the local Chairman and Speaker (leader of district Chairmen).

After meeting the remaining 5 children in the family (the eldest daughter had passed away from a lack of nourishment only last month) it was very clear that the youngest two were also very sick and malnourished. Sonia and I asked if the ECS team could take them to a local medical clinic in Lugazi, which we did.

After we dropped them off (Sonia and Shelin stayed with the father, sister-in-law and two children) the rest of us dropped into the Lugazi Police station to interview the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Department. He was very appreciative of the support the ECS team were providing to the family and was very happy to share with us some of the details surrounding the boy's death.

Our visit to the medical clinic proved very worthwhile as one of the children had typhoid and both were significantly malnourished and anaemic. As the family couldn't afford the treatment we decided to pay the medical expenses (we agreed to pay 180,000 shillings straight away and pay the remaining 150,000 shillings in two weeks when we plan to return to the family to see how they're travelling). The doctor agreed to drive out to the village each day to administer the medication.

We also felt compelled to purchase groceries and clothes for the family as they were extremely poor and had absolutely nothing. We enjoyed going to the local Lugazi market to buy a laying chicken, millet, maize flour, beans, eggs, fruit and vegetables, cooking oil, milk and some other necessary requirements.

On our way to the market place the father asked the ECS team if he could commit his life to Christ. I asked them to ask him what he knew about the gospel and if he saw himself as a sinner. As he didn't have any understanding of the gospel I agreed to share it with him when we return to his home in two weeks.

Just to clarify, the ECS team tend to agree with the local police who think the father killed the eldest son on instruction from his brother (who is a witch doctor) in return for money, health and prosperity for the family.

The deceased boy (who we didn't see) was missing his head, neck, right arm, right leg, genitals, heart, liver and intestines - many of which would fetch a very high price if given to the 'right' people.

It was an emotionally draining day, but one that was important for us in building our understanding of the issue of Child Sacrifice. We felt very safe as a team, had the full support of the local Police and are taking the gospel to families and communities affected by this devastating practice.

Throughout the experience we were mindful to put on the full armour of God and seek his arm of protection.

Please pray for the team as they support families such as this. Please pray also for Moses, the father in question, that the truth comes out, justice is implemented and he accepts Christ in two weeks.

We spent most of Thursday writing up the official report from Wednesday.