We meet the board members of Chaford (Charity for Rural Development) and had a naming ceremony.


Itye ningo (good afternoon to an old friend who is an elder such as yourself),

You can call me Anywar now (pronounced Anuwaa). The five other students in my group and I are in Gulu now and we met the board members of Chaford (Charity for Rural Development) who named each of us.

Robert Anywar, our program director with Chaford, gave me my name. Acholi names come from the situation/setting in which one was born (Acholi is the group of people that we are working with in Northern Uganda. They are also found in Sudan and other towns outside of Gulu). My name means stubborn, not that I am stubborn (because I am not, ok?), but that someone was stubborn around the time when I was born, such as the pregnant mother or a family member (which my Mom can comment on).

Other names were just as interesting (and a little more complimentary). Sophie is named Lakar who was the Queen of the Royal Family in Atioch, Allie is Aber or beautiful, Christopher Day (our program director for our trip) is Okotbete (the greatest Acholi Poet), Susannah is Anwaduek (as bright as the moon), and Jacob since he is the first twin is Opio and his brother and the following siblings all have names dependent on their position.

It was amazing to hear that every name had a meaning and to meet the board members who come from a variety of professions and who also shared the meanings of their names.

Time to run back to my host family (who is amazing and has turkeys and has 14 kids and 7 cousins who stay with them), but I will post soon and describe our language lessons and work.

Afoyo (spelled Apoyo (there are no Fs in Luo)),

Nikolai Anywar