Northern Uganda Orphanages

Jan 20, 2012

Hi again! Well, The team went to the game park, yesterday am and I headed up to Kitgum to have meetings with the directors of Tender Trust(TT), Kitgum Infant Orphan Care Center (KIOCC), and Northern Uganda Community Based Action for Children with Disabilites (NUCBACD). Hope 2 One Life has supported their medical care with quarterly funding since we began our oganization in 2007. As some of you may recall, we were introduced to these via Far Reaching Ministies and our Calvary Chapel church team on a mission trip in 2006. This is when we met Nancy and Bosco for the first time. One of our team members was so touched by the infant orphanage and the experience she has funded this area each year. We are incredibly grateful! Thank you Cheryl! It has not been without challenges trying to get the optimal care for all 3 places, however, all are willing to keep at it! As you may recall, last year I went up to re-vamp the care and we hired a doctor from Kitgum to see the kids each saturday. This still did not prove entirely the solution. I decided it was important to sit and discuss further options and since our time would be short when the team arrived I would go up early while they are at the game park.


Once again, I was so behind schedule as needed to sort some finances with Richard, and of course buy the beautiful quilted totes, purses, clutches, paperbead bracelets, necklaces etc, from the ladies on the farm for market through Hope 2 One Life events and sales in the US! I was planning on taking the bus again with Jackson (remember last years episode? I do, and was not really looking forward to this as I had craft and medicine tubs to tote again as the team bus was out of room). As fate would have it, we waited for a long time into the afternoon and all the buses were full. So ended up hiring a car to drive to Kitgum which was way more expensive than I had wanted for sure, but it was reliable and did not break down! What an easy trip!

The next morning I met with Lois and Terence. They all met with Sr. Teddy previously, as well. It has been determined NUCBACD really needs an onsite nurse. The doctor would see the same children each week and there was noone qualified to be sure they took their medicines as prescribed. Many were being sent to his office. Terence has since come back to run KIOCC and his knowledge in the nutrition centers in Kalongo and Kitgum is very helpful to KIOCC and their well being. Lois, is a nurse as well, so she is able to keep tabs on TT if they have provision for medicines. The decision was to use the some of the quarterly funding to provide a full time nurse for NUCBACD and split the remaining money for medicines and/or doctor visits needed for all 3 orphanges. Terence will be the designated person to send me the receipts and reports via email which he has done so well in the past. So, the search is on for a nurse! And possibly more funding!

I also met with Terence and a family and made arrangements to see and continue with some kids in school. It was a productive day and although I walked a lot, I didn't travel the dusty hot road this time! Jackson, as always, is a huge help and he did most of the traveling and escorting anyone I needed to see.

The team arrived at the hotel all excited about their game park trip and couldn't wait to tell about the lions!! I was so happy they had a good time as I was worried they were tired and worn out from the 1 am late night, finishing up the work on the farm. Plus, Kam was sick the day before they left, however he did great in the park and is well!

Tommorrow, the orphanage visits! We will see infants and young children at KIOCC. There are also some families who have taken back some of the kids when they were old enough to eat food and survive, that still come to the center for support. They have some health needs. So we will see these kids, Brenda and I, with the help of the others. The guys will assess the solar power and some water tank needs as well. We have some garden drip kits and seeds to set up also. It is here, we will utilize the other Ready Relief kit of medicines and supplies from Heart to Heart International. (The first Ready Relief kit we used on the farm for the village clinic and left the remaining meds with them to use. Also, we were able to give Nurse Suzan the doctor bag consisting of the sthethoscope, blood pressure kit, otoscope and opthalmoscope and the digital thermometer! The village healthcare workers received stethoscopes.)

We will also visit Tender Trust and their kids! If the KIOCC kids don't have a family to go home when they get older, the kids often graduate to TT. Lois has many special needs and disabled kids as well. Then on to NUCBACD to the deaf blind and disabled school!

This is the first time a big team has come to visit Kitgum since our team in 2006. Mike and Jenny came in 2007 and 2008 and Brian in 2010 but not a whole big team!
Subsequently, this part of the involvement H2O is in doesn't get much attention. Progress! Hallelujah!

Nadine