Hi <<First Name>>!
Spring has sprung in Australia, with emerging blossoms and the promise of warmer weather ahead. In Uganda, September marks the end of the dry season. The arrival of the wet will bring its own set of challenges for the MH medical and community teams. In the meantime, here's our recent news ...
Dr Kevin Akampurira was recently married; we lost a valued colleague with the passing of Dr Martin Situma; and Dr Ian Daley has returned to Ireland, having spent several months working at the MH hospital. Ian's time, good nature and expertise were greatly appreciated by his MH colleagues in Uganda and he is already very much missed.
MH has partnered with the Toro Babies Home to provide their ongoing medical care, which is an exciting and rewarding development. The medical team continues treating over 1000 patients per month and we celebrate the return of our weekly immunisation sessions. The community health team is actively engaged with each of the villages in our health education program. Below, you'll see the incredible impact on this outreach made by your EOFY generosity. MH has also participated in government initiatives on family planning and the removal of open pit latrines. Our teams in Uganda are keeping busy!
We'd welcome you sharing this Update with others who might also be interested in our work, and please let us know if you can help with our website! Details below.
In this Update:
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We are deeply saddened by the passing of renowned paediatric surgeon,
Dr Martin Situma
and our thoughts are with Martin's family at this time.
As one of only a few paediatric surgeons in Uganda, Dr Situma worked tirelessly to provide care for children in the Western region.
Over the years he operated on many, many children in the Maranatha Hospital Theatre and in other hospitals in the region; to ensure that children had the essential, life-saving surgeries they needed.
We long and pray for a day when paediatric surgeons are not so rare in Uganda and when children will always have access to surgery they need.
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Medical Program Update
- Maranatha Health partners with Toro Babies Home -
We are proud to announce our new partnership with Toro Babies Home (TBH) in Fort Portal. Under this arrangement, MH will provide all ongoing health care for the children living there.
TBH cares for abandoned children whose biological parents are not known, or whose relatives don’t have the capacity to look after them. Some children are born to parents with intellectual disabilities, and some children have physical or intellectual disabilities and parents find it difficult to care for them. TBH's management works with government and police officials to receive these vulnerable children, some of whom are later re-settled with their families when they become less vulnerable.
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Please help us with much needed equipment!
Maranatha Health is in great need of some new equipment for our medical and community work. This life-saving medical equipment - including a new oxygen concentrator, a patient monitor, new pulse oximeters, a patient outdoor shelter for rainy days, and a new vehicle - is immediately needed to continue providing high quality care for patients!
Maranatha Health has had its beloved, indestructible 1989 Toyota Hilux Ute since 2011, when we first began our work in Uganda. It has served us well during this time - carrying materials and equipment to the facility, transporting patients in emergency situations, ferrying impressive numbers of our staff to events, and managing the daily grind of visiting remote communities on hard-to-reach roads through Uganda's notoriously difficult wet season. After 11 years, this workhorse is ready for lighter duties!
Thanks to the Dreamin Foundation's generous A$20,000 donation, Maranatha Health has almost reached our target of $30,000, to enable us to afford both the essential medical equipment and a suitable vehicle.
We are hoping to raise the additional A$10,000 by the end of October, to ensure we can afford all of this necessary equipment. If you would like to contribute to these out-of-budget essential purchases, please visit Give Now and when donating, tick the box marked 'Leave a message for the organisation' and write 'EQUIPMENT'. If you'd like to have a confidential chat about donating the full amount, feel free to contact Kim via kim.findlay@maranathahealth.org! Thank you for your ongoing support.
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Our trusty Hilux, circa 2012.
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Farewell and thank you to Dr Ian Daley.
We are so grateful for your gracious contribution to the people of Uganda, and for your three months of hard work, support and teaching at the MH Hospital.
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Community Health Program Update
- MH increases its Abahabuzi B’ebyobwomezi (AB) impact! -
As a direct result of your generosity during our recent EOFY appeal, MH will introduce its Community Health Leaders Program [Known locally as the Abahabuzi B'ebyobwomezi (AB)] to 8 new communities over the next 12 months, instead of the 5 in our initial budget. That's a 60% increase in our capacity to bring positive change and preventative healthcare to rural Uganda. From us and on behalf of all those whose lives will be improved with your support, thank you!
- Kijonjomi Community -
Kijonjomi village is one of the communities implementing the AB program this year. A group of 20 ABs are working hard to create positive changes by implementing the changes in their own homes, through monthly home visits to their neighbours, and health education sessions in the community. Most people have started following their example and are drinking boiled water, using mosquito nets to ward off malaria, constructing drying racks and tippy taps for hand washing, and preparing kitchen gardens. With his cute little helper, Setimba* has now finished his drying rack and is grateful for the work ABs are doing for his community.
“We used to put wet utensils in the bucket after washing them but the AB advised me on the benefits of drying them in the open to prevent some diseases.”
Simple, but very, very effective.
*names changed for privacy
Below: In Kijonjomi Community - demonstrating how to make a tippy tap,
constructing a drying rack, and inspecting an open pit latrine.
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- Kyangabuka Community -
Graduated from the program and has been selected by the district for verification and certification as an open defecation free village in Uganda. Congratulations!
- Kasesenge Community -
Mr Nyakoojo* is a local leader in one of the most remote areas of Western Uganda, and a pioneer AB. At a recent graduation ceremony, he had this story to tell:
"When Maranatha Health first came to our village in 2018 we did not know that they were going to continue coming. ... Our village is very far from town and has poor roads. Many NGOs who come to our area don’t stay for long because our area has been marked by the district government as a hard to reach area. Maranatha has stayed with us [and] benefited a lot to our community. Over 60 Health Advisors have been trained and ... helped our people to live in hygienic homes and fight disease, hospital visits have reduced, people are healthier. [There is more] household productivity and development in our area. When Maranatha came to Kasesenge there was a health centre which was constructed by local people. We had no drugs and government had not given us any health worker except one from Kabende who was volunteering two days a week to our clinic. Maranatha Health supported us by paying a nurse for two years. This nurse attended to the clinic every day [and] Maranatha supported our clinic with supplies that we could not have managed. Maranatha staffs helped us to write to the District Council so that our facility could be taken up by government ... and accompanied us to present our resolution. A few months later our Health facility was taken up by Ministry of Health, more staffs were posted by government, now we get drugs and other supplies from National Medical Stores, and we receive Primary Health Care to implement outreaches by our facility. We are very grateful to Maranatha team in Fort Portal and the donors in Australia."
We echo his gratitude for all your support.
*names changed for privacy
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WEBSITE SUPPORT
Maranatha Health needs an experienced volunteer to assist with website updates (content provided) and ongoing site maintenance.
If this sounds like you, please email us at contact@maranathahealth.org.
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Tackling deadly Jiggers* in Nyamirima
‘‘I never believed that jiggers would get off my family, I believed it was a curse or witchcraft. I now believe that God has visited my family through people who love us. I have learnt that it is simple to control jiggers. My children are able to sleep well at night, they can play with others, they are happy and I am happy too.’’
Okan* lives in Nyamirima village with his children, Jimiyu*, Kacancu* and Isingoma*. When Community Health Advisors visited Okan's family, the children were all suffering from Jiggers. It was painful and difficult for them to walk and they seemed miserable. One of the children was seriously affected and it was hard for him to move, even around their small compound.
‘‘It is difficult for me caring for the children and at times
we have no food to eat. ... My wife left me about five years ago
because of the poor living conditions we were in.’’
The ABs noted:
"[For] two weeks Maranatha staff together with the Community Health Advisors with the village leaders, visited Okan to intervene and help the family to control the jiggers. ... Maranatha offered soap and cream and also fumigated their house. The health advisors helped to remove jiggers and applied the cream on all children.
The family was educated on sanitation and good hygiene. Children looked [like they] had spent days without bathing, we told them bathing daily is good and helps to prevent diseases. We requested them to take a bath and we realized they don't know how to properly bathe. We taught them how to bathe. “I have tried all means to control jiggers but I have failed. I think it's also a kind of witchcraft.’’, Okan commented.
We assured him that if he maintains proper hygiene and sanitation, all this would be history. We kept visiting them to check on their progress. A month later, there were no more jiggers, the children were getting healthier, happy, walking well and playing with others.’’
*names changed for privacy
* Tungiasis (Jiggers), is a tropical parasitic skin disease caused by the female sand flea, which burrows into the host's skin, laying dozens of eggs before dying inside the skin. Most sufferers, especially children and the elderly, become unable to use their painful, itchy feet and hands. Left untreated, Jiggers can cause permanent disability or death.
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Congratulations Kevin and Joan!
Kevin writes:
"Who is Dr. Akampurira Kevin Muheru? I am a youthful doctor currently working at MH as a medical officer. I have been described as joyful, oriented, hardworking, loyal and dedicated. My faith in Jesus for me remains my greatest asset and guide, in Him I have grown in stature and my desire and calling to serve. I am newly wedded and enjoying the gift and bliss of marriage. Despite the distance currently between my wife and I, our theme is “one day at a time” and God is surely seeing us through this. [Joan works in Kabale, about 290km and 6 hours away from Fort Portal.] I am grateful for the MH family that greatly supported me during my wedding to the love of my life.
I have worked with Maranatha Health for now slightly over 2 years and am surely grateful. For me this was a predestined coming together. At MH I have grown in leaps and bounds, growing both in knowledge and in compassion towards the people we serve as an organisation. I have been blessed to serve amongst and together with a team that has been resilient. Serving alongside Dr Zishan who was both a friend and mentor over my initial year at MH. I was chanced to also serve alongside the late Dr Martin Situma, a highly skilled pediatric surgeon who constantly reminded me that our life is only satisfied in service of others."
We are very grateful for Dr Kevin's gifts
and all his hard work for Maranatha Health.
We wish Kevin and his wife, Dr Joan Tumwebaze,
every blessing for their marriage!
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MaranathaPARTNERS
We know that there are no quick-solutions to poverty or broken health systems.
We are committed to our communities for the long-haul,
to see children thriving and able to access life-saving care.
To do this, we need your help.
MaranathaPARTNERS are monthly givers, and they are crucial
for ensuring the long term sustainability of our work in Uganda.
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Find out more at our website here, or
click the button below to set up a regular tax-deductible donation:
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