miltonallimadi@hotmail.com
Ugandans in the New York area have rallied to the support of an eight-year old Ugandan severe burn victim being monitored for possible trauma at the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in New York."The 8-year-old suffered severe burns just before his fifth birthday. He was reportedly dropped into a pot of hot water. This happened when his mother, who was carrying him, was shot in the chest".
Opio Ivance, who was brought to the United States about four and a half months ago, is in the children’s section of the hospital. He was seen playing with other children today and has become one of the most popular youngsters in the ward. It's possible he may be ruled medically fit, apart from the burn wounds sustained years ago.
“When I saw him today, he had already taught some American children how to sing in Kiswahili,” said Milton Allimadi, publisher of The Black Star News. “I think the song is called ‘Teacher mzuri, mzuri, mzuri.’ He would demonstrate a dance move as he sang and the American kids joined in.”
Opio also showed his visitors drawings he had made with crayons and colored pens and numbers he had written on a large notepaper. “He seems to be very good with numbers and five minutes after meeting him, he was already demonstrating his arithmetic skills to me,” Allimadi, who was accompanied by other Ugandans for the visit, said. "We will keep people posted on his well-being. A report in a Ugandan paper that he suffered a breakdown is not true."
“Opio sustained severe burns while living in one of those wretched concentration camps in Uganda,” Allimadi added. “I was told that he is monitored to determine when he might be fit for the surgery he needs to repair the damage to his arms and his chest at another facility. The boy tells me that he hopes to be able to play basketball one day.” Opio also demonstrated some soccer skills, swinging his leg to demonstrate how he scores goals. Unlike the American children, Opio stays way from television in the recreation room, preferring to write down numbers instead.
Opio has learned some English at a remarkable rate since his arrival here in the United States although he is not hesitant to speak in Acholi to hospital staff, some of whom nod in agreement. Some staff members have grown so fond of the boy that some are even willing to provide a home for him if need be.
“With good body language, and the kid is expressive, he seems to have found a way to communicate effectively. However, several of us Acholi speakers have now volunteered to rotate visits to ensure that Opio receives proper attention,” added Allimadi.
Allimadi noted that he has also met the American woman, Jeanette Quinn, who brought Opio to the United States. The circumstances of bringing the boy to the country, and the current status of guardianship were not immediately clear.
“For the time being, we want to ensure a somewhat familiar environment so we invite any caring Ugandan, and other Acholi speakers in the New York region to consider making themselves available,” Allimadi added. “We will do everything to see that he gets any treatment he needs for his burns. Whether US laws were broken in getting Opio here, we shall wait to see. No one is going to take advantage of this boy at all. That much we can assure.”
Opio ended up in the U.S. hospital after airport Security at John F. Kennedy International Airport prevented him and Quinn from boarding a plane out of the United States on March 22 after an "incident" The Black Star News has learned—Quinn wanted to return the boy to Uganda or take him to some other location. New York City officials then quickly swung into action and took control. Opio’s severe burns, sustained more than four years ago hampers arm mobility.
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Read More About Opiyo here....
1 comment:
We met Opiyo while he lived in Northampton, Mass., with his American guardian since about Thanksgiving of 2006. We believe, strongly, that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, related to living on the streets of Gulu, after he had been disabled by his traumatic burn during an LRA attack over 3 years ago. While he certainly experienced some culture shock after moving here to the U.S., he is, as you've noted, a smart, outgoing, and loving boy, and culture shock alone has not been the cause of his many aggressive outbursts. That is a disservice to lovely and loving Opiyo to suggest that his trauma is not deep and real. Like many people visited by intrusive thoughts of prior trauma, he cannot always differentiate between the past and the present, and he sees mortal danger in the present where there is none--and then lashes out. While what you say about his essential personality is true--he is engaging and interested in math and basketball and music and dance, and he yearns to be a teacher when he grows up--he needs quality psychological help for his trauma, as do many, many children embroiled in wars around the world. It is no condemnation of him or his culture that he needs that. And he will probably require a loving, experienced, and single-mindedly devoted therapeutic foster home before he can live successfully in a normal family here in the U.S.--Acholi speaking or not. Please spend more time with him before you suggest again, publicly, that anyone who has been involved with his complicated care has done anything less than honest and admirable work. Opiyo was seriously, gravely damaged by his life on the streets of Gulu, and he needs the skilled psychological and medical care that he has been brought to in the United States. I don't know why that care was not afforded to him in Uganda, but it was not. Those who have worked together to find him the care he needs should not be villified--no matter how imperfect our efforts may have been. There is a large group of people who came to know and love Opiyo in Northampton, Mass., who are hoping for the best for Opiyo--and are faithfully praying that he will learn to function well and peacefully as a child, among other children, for the remaining 10 years or so of his childhood. But he is not there yet, and he will continue to need the dedicated efforts of many adults who will help him make peace with his traumatic past, but let it rest.
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