When I was young and heading to bed on a rainy night my father would always say to me how he loved to fall asleep listening to rain falling on the roof. Here, the sound of rain at night brings a different message: a warning signal.
When it rains heavy throughout the night in Gulu there’s always a risk of theft – particularly if you have a tin roof (the noise is deafening!). This is a local fact, known by all in our community. The latest to fall victim was a good friend of ours who runs a local video hall (you may have read about this before, a room with a television and speaker and lots of seats; mostly to show Premier League football games and they are regularly packed!)
Last night, as the rain thundered down, the hall was broken into (a padlock on a wooden door). A flat screen television, speaker and DVD player was stolen (no insurance). Right next to the video hall is a small room which houses a generator, computer and DVDs. This small room is ‘guarded’ by the owner’s relative who sleeps on the floor each night. Almost a year ago, last wet season, the same video hall was broken into and the flat screen television stolen. The owner got a loan to buy a new one and had one repayment to go before last night’s events. The owner may take out another loan for a replacement television so his business can continue. There’s no fences, no gates, the video hall like many local businesses in our area, are on the side of the street. Tighter security is not financially possible. It’s not what you could call a lucrative business. And what would the options be? Two relatives to sleep on the floor of both rooms? There is no simple answer.
Dan and Jodes... in Gulu, Uganda 