Partnership News Issue 61, Winter 2016
Special Edition: 2016 Visit to Teso
Great development at Ngora Fred Carr Hospital (Page 4)
Plus‌. More safe water supplies
Famine hits Amuria
Building at Tisai Island School
From the editor As I write this, it is a little over a week since I returned from my third and most difficult trip to Teso. My limited experience of Teso over the past 2 years had already taught me to expect face-to-face meetings with poverty, illness and food shortages. But famine. That’s something different. Standing shoulder to shoulder with a family whose only food is Mangos, and knowing that they would soon run out, took my experience of rural Teso to a new level. It is difficult to absorb it there, whilst driving relentlessly along the dusty, bumpy roads from one project to the next. (This newsletter, shows what a whirlwind of activity of trips to Teso can be: visiting and encouraging our partners in the excellent work they are doing on the ground.) Only when returning to a place of quiet, and reflecting, does the desperate need begin to set in. 7 days after I arrived home, I was meeting a friend in Costa. I wondered how much profit was being made that day as we drank coffee and how many of the families I met the previous week could be fed with that profit. Then, as I gazed out of the window towards a large 24hours Asda, I wondered how many people could be fed in Teso with the food that was in just that one shop. If you’re thinking this short editorial is a little emotional, it is. I make no apologies for that. I came face to face with communities who knew that starvation is inevitable unless someone helps. Of course, after a few more days of being back in the UK, emotions settle down. Life, family, work, ministry and home continue in much the same way as before we left; and my head has finally landed back in the UK way of life a week after my body landed in Birmingham. In thinking about all this I’m reminded of a verse in the Bible. It says of Noah, that after he and his family had been hidden for 40 days in an Ark, ‘God remembered Noah’. God deliberately called to mind Noah’s family as they experienced the greatest storms ever to sweep across earth. The famine in Teso is hidden. It is unlikely to get reported or talked about. God remembers. After reading this newsletter your life will continue in much the same way as before. You will not be able to hold the Iteso people in your mind continually as you go about life. But, let me encourage you to take moments to actively call to mind those who are facing famine in Teso.
James
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Introduction
Tue June
21 The latest TDT visit to Teso took place from 21st June to 5th July. Andrew Third, Rachel Third (Andrew’s daughter), Christine Moyes, Pat Smart and James Seager formed this year’s team. They left Birmingham airport on
the evening of Tuesday 21st June. After a 6 hour flight to Dubai, another 5 hour flight to Entebbe and then a 9 hour drive, we were more than ready for our beds when we arrived at Kumi Hotel at 11.30pm on Wednesday 22nd!
Kumi Hospital
Thu June
23 On Thursday 22nd, James Seager and Christine Moyes visited Kumi Hospital. TDT have been funding a management and financial consultant from the UK (Martin and Elaine Harrison) to support the development of the hospital. It was good to see some progress, particularly with the management team. One of the real highlights was when James and Christine visited Vicky at her home a few miles from the hospital. She was born with bow legs and could not walk. Jim Sampson and James visited Vicky last year after her operations which were paid for from the Compassionate Fund we finance at the hospital. Then, one of her legs was still in plaster, but she
was managing to walk with crutches. The year, James and Christine saw Vicky running and playing with the other children! The family showed great appreciation for the support we had give them.
Vicky 2016
Vicky 2016
4 Thu June
Freda Carr Hospital, Ngora
23 TDT Supporter Rachel Third, along with Andrew and Pat, visited the Hospital. “I call a spade, a spade” says Rev Dr Janet White – a quality she is proud to attribute to her northern roots. And it is under her no-nonsense leadership that the dramatic transformation of Ngora Freda Carr Hospital continues. Honesty and integrity are the core values she and Rev Simon Omoding, the new administrator, are embedding at the hospital and they have been able to successfully build up a key group of trusted staff who share their vision of a bright future at Freda Carr. Now, around 15,000 patients a year receive treatment at the hospital and when the TDT group visited this summer the whole place felt lively and the wards were busy, but happily not yet overcrowded. Ward
Wards that are active are the Children’s Ward, the Adult Ward and the Maternity Ward in particular. Freda Carr has recently been chosen as one of only two partners in the region for a U.S. Aid-funded healthcare voucher scheme for pregnant women starting in September whereby expectant mothers can receive free care and the hospital will be reimbursed by U.S. Aid funding. This is a great achievement – U.S. Aid is cautious and chooses partners who they can trust. Encouragingly, the other partner is Kumi Hospital, another longterm partner of TDT.
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We expect this to mean quite a few more women will be giving birth at Freda Carr this year, and with this in mind there is a great need for urgent repairs and renovation to be made in the maternity unit. Right now, whole sections of the ceiling are exposed and open to the elements, causing flooding and damage during the frequent, heavy rains. I personally cannot bear to imagine being a mother, about to give birth, with the staff having to combat such issues while trying to attend to me. I can only guess at the fear and anxiety this would cause and the risk of infection it brings. The risk of complications during pregnancy is already so high in Uganda due to widespread
Ward in need of renovation
malaria and lack of resources – in fact a mother is 50 times more likely to die in childbirth in Uganda than in the UK. So please help us provide the best care for these women and their babies. How you can help
Lab Technician
A gift of £5,000 could renovate one of five sections of the deteriorating maternity ward, and Freda Carr would be delighted to offer a plaque in that section in recognition of the donor, or perhaps in honour or memory of a loved one.
A gift of £1,000 could help fix the roof in the Post-Delivery and Caesarean Ward.
A gift of £600 could pay a midwife’s salary for a full 3 months.
A gift of £100 could buy a fetal doppler to monitor a baby’s heart beat.
Please donate now to support the Maternity Ward at Ngora Freda Carr Hospital.
6 Fri Wed
Thu
Fri
June
June
June
July
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Water Projects
During the course of the 10 days they were in Teso different members of the team spent time with our four partners who are currently doing water projects: TEDDO, PAG Kumi, PAG Soroti and PAG Kido (Katakwi & Amuria). Christine, Pat and Rachel spent a day with PAG Soroti at a new borehole in Serere. Christine tells what happened: “We visited Omagoro village to officially open the borehole. A total of 9 water facilities were being opened in the Serere District today. Omagoro regarded this as a very important day and made it a real celebration. Local dignitaries present, the national anthem was sung, there was traditional Ateso dancing and feasting. A decorated gazebo with seating
Celebrations at Omagoro
was available for all visitors…..The TDT team was presented with 3 chickens and a sack of oranges.’
New and Old Water Sources at Okeri
Andrew and James also had the privilege of officially opening a borehole in Okeri, a villiage in the north of Amuria next to the border with Karamoja. The district governor also joined in cutting the ribbon. One villager commented that they would be telling stories 200 years in the future of how the white man came to bring water to their village.
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PAG Kumi Pastors There was also much gratitude from the communities that were visited with PAG Kumi and TEDDO. Such displays of celebration and thankfulness are a great reminder of how significant these water sources are to the communities. By providing a well or a borehole the health of the village instantly improves and the strain of carrying water for many miles is immediately removed. At TDT we are looking forward to our 2017 trips where we will see some of the new water sources that are currently being funded, and others that will be donated over the next few months from our generous supporters in the UK.
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We have been working with PAG Kumi over the past year to provide support and training for their pastors. During the 2015 visit we heard a request to provide every church leader with a goat. This project is now well Pastors with goats underway and some of the goats were seen by Christine, Pat and James. The pastors were really thankful. James also had the privilege of teaching one class at the PAG Kumi ‘In-Service Bible School’. This school has classes in 10 communities around Kumi, which provides basic discipleship and ministry training for around 60 pastors.
Kanyanga community showing appreciation
Class at Bible School
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Tisai School
Andrew, Rachel, Pat and Christine made the adventurous journey by car, boat and motorcycle to Tisai Island. TDT first became aware of this community on our last trip to Teso when Jim Sampson visited them, and TDT has since provided some support. Rachel makes these comments about the island: Tisai has 5000-6000 total inhabitants and is around 5km long. The primary school supported by TDT is only one school on the Island, and some children walk the full 5km and back to school each day. Life on the island is a struggle – they have no access to clean water and no electricity. To fetch water they take the boats into the middle of the lake where the water is a bit clearer and fill up jerry cans.
School Rooms funded by TDT
TDT recently provided funding for a temporary structure which would provide the school with 4 classrooms. With some additional money left over from TDT’s grant they built another temporary structure which is intended to be used as a health clinic, with the intention that the government will provide a visiting nurse. We saw this structure and it looked to be in good condition and to be used well, although further work would ideally be done in time on all of the buildings to make them more permanent.
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Soroti Lay-Readers Training On Tuesday 28th June the whole team visited the Lay-Readers training centre in Soroti. The team had a great time talking with the staff and meeting some of the 73 students that are currently studying there. They particularly enjoyed joining with the worship and providing some teaching in the new multipurpose hall. TDT had funded the roof and the flooring for that hall, which provides a great venue for lectures, social activities and eating.
Whilst at the college the team were told of the food shortages that are affecting the north of Teso, and how the college only had 2 weeks’ worth of food left. But, even though they were facing significant challenges with
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food, their faith and enthusiasm was not dampened!
Garden growing crops
Following their time with the students, James and Andrew went to see the gardens where the students are growing some crops. TDT provided the initial finance to plough and sow these gardens in 2015. It was good to see this land still being used. Ground nuts and maize were beginning to grow after the recent rain, and it is hoped that some of this will be ready to harvest in the coming 2 months.
Students being taught in the new multi-purpose hall
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Wed June
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Village Savings & Loans
It was a real privilege for Andrew, Rach and James to spend some time with the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) which have been set up through the Soroti Women’s Cooperative Union Limited (SOWCUL). On Wednesday 29th June they visited 3 groups, as well as the offices of SOWCUL.
VSLA Groups in action
It was great to see the groups in action. These groups have up to 30 members who bring cash each week to the group for savings, which provides a fund that
people can borrow from. Most of the loans are used to pay for school fees or starting businesses, and are repaid weekly to the group. Interest is charged on each loan which is then distributed to the group at the end of each year along with the money they have saved. This results in some people getting 100% interest on their savings over the year! The team heard amazing stories of how these VSLA’s have helped people to improve their lives. One man purchased a butchers stall in the market and is now making more money. Another group member, who had also been part of another group for 4 years had purchased and renovated 2 large houses. She now has 5 tenants in her rooms, and making a lot of money!
VSLA Groups at Moruapesur and Nakatunya
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Amuria Famine When James and Andrew visited
and now these are running out.
Amuria to open the borehole at
Malnutrition
Okeri, they witnessed first hand
widespread in the district of
the desperate food shortage that
Amuria, with starvation being a
is quickly developing in Amuria.
real threat in the near future.
They also saw the same needs
In response, TDT have been able
when visiting Abarilela and Wera
to send an emergency fund of
with the RTM project.
ÂŁ4000 to provide initial help for
PAG Kido staff and the local
the most vulnerable. However,
communities described how the
at least ÂŁ10,000 is needed. This
flooding at the end of last year
will help feed people who are
destroyed the majority of crops
most at risk until they are able to
that would have fed the people
harvest some more crops in
through to the spring. This has
September / October.
is
already
been followed by 2 months of drought, causing the current harvest to fail. Many people in the area have been living off
Please consider donating now to our famine relief appeal.
mangos for the past few weeks,
Crops that should be ready for harvesting have not grown or dried out
Thu June
30
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Ngariam Technical College to the site but to the students some of which (8 girls and 12 boys) are sleeping on site, with classrooms used as dormitories. Students are being provided with one meal each day if they are commuting and 2 meals per day if sleeping on site.
Over the past three years TDT has been working with the Church of Uganda, Soroti Diocese Education Department to develop a Technical Training College for vulnerable children in Ngariam, Katakwi. Christine, Pat and Rachel spent the day at the college on 30th June. Christine comments: We met with Principal, staff, board members and students. Approximately 55 students are now enrolled: 20 students on tailoring course, 10+ in carpentry and 10+ doing building. 4 teachers are currently working at the college. All were very happy to receive us. There were also approximately 6 small children of child mothers present. The fence [funded by TDT this year] has given security not only
The team saw the classes in action and, as with previous visits to this college, saw the enthusiasm of the students and staff despite the lack of tools and resources. Now that the site is secured with the fence, TDT is sending £4000 (part funded by St Saviour’s Church, Bournemouth and St James Wealth Management) to provide tools, electric supply and equipment to start a welding course and workshop.
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Revival Time Ministry Revival Time Ministry has been a longstanding partner with Micro-Loan Beneficiary TDT. Over many years we have supported their community projects in Abarilela and Wera. In the morning James and Andrew spent time with the beneficiaries of the micro-loan schemes in Abarilela, seeing the positive impact this has on individual families. Two of the beneficiaries bought goats. One of those told Andrew and James that she hopes to sell the kids to buy a cow, and then sell the cow later on to pay for her children’s secondary school education. (This is great financial planning!) Another bought ground nuts which she planted. She
Literacy Class
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explained that the harvest is not very good due to the drought, but hopes to have enough to repay the loan and plant some more. She will then sell the ground nuts to buy goats.
In the afternoon a visit was paid to one of the 36 literacy classes in Wera, which meet for two hours a week. It was good to see nine students attending the class, who were very happy to read to us and write their names on the board. There was great enthusiasm for learning and those present had high ambitions (becoming pastors, teachers and one wanted to be a missionary to the UK!). One student also explained that being literate helped her manage her business better. Their main aim is to be able to read their Bibles.
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Sat July
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Bible Translation & Children’s Bible very good for the work – including a kitchen, shower and 2 bedrooms. It is helpful to have space for accommodation as sometimes people need to travel to the office.
On the final full day of our time in Teso, the whole team went to visit the Bible Society Office. They met Rev Robert and Sylvia, who explained that the Children’s Bible was progressing well: 13 stories from the gospel of Mark had been drafted in simplified English. The English version of the children’s Bible should be complete by September.
The team then took the short trip across Soroti town to the Bible Translation offices, which are located in a rented house paid for by TDT. The house is
They have now completed work on a number of books of the Bible and some have already been reviewed. Once the final review has taken place they hope to have some portions of the Bible printed which will provide finance for the project and give people the opportunity to feed back about the new translation.
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A Final Word‌. I will hold our last visit in my mind for a long time for two reasons. Firstly, I saw again the determination of the Iteso people to remain positive and generous despite their desperate needs. The stories we have shared in this newsletter have inspired me. I trust they encourage you to pray, and perhaps give. Secondly, I will also remember this trip it as my final visit to Teso as the Coordinator of TDT. After just over 2 years of working with the dedicated trustees and committee, and supporting our partners in Teso, it is time for me to move on. I will soon be taking up a role with my own Church (Revive Church, Hull) in overseeing our pastoral ministry and also working as a part-time Chaplain in Hull Prison. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters, committee members and trustees for the encouragement they have given to me. I have found my time with TDT to be inspiring, and it has been a privilege to serve. The new Coordinator, Philip
Good, has been on the TDT Management Committee for a number of years and has vast experience in mission and development. His business and project management skills will be a great asset to TDT as the charity moves forward. I pray that TDT is blessed and continues to be a great blessing to the Iteso people!
James
Get Involved By giving a little to TDT you can join with hundreds of others who believe that when many give a little it can go a long way. If you would like to give a regular or one-off gift please complete the ‘response sheet’ included with this news letter. Alternatively, we can match you to a practical project that is right for you! We are currently looking for churches or organisations that are interested in sponsoring the following projects: Village Savings And Loans Associations, Food Security projects, Skills Training for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Water Boreholes and Wells.
Contact Us‌. For more information about our projects or how you can partner with us please contact Philip Good - TDT Coordinator 01258 817674
Hatherley Meadow, Stoke Wake, Blandford Forum, Dorset. DT11 0HF. info@teso.org.uk/ philgood@email.com www.teso.org.uk TDT is a membership association and individuals directly donating ÂŁ10 or more in a year to TDT funds or campaigns will become a member for that year and the next.
Management Committee Chairman Jim Sampson 2 Homefield, Cupernham Green Romsey, Hampshire SO51 7WG 01794 514722 jimandjanet@talktalk.net Hon Treasurer Andrew Third Old Garth, 1 Moor Lane Gotham, Nottingham NG11 0LH 0115 983 1205
Hon Secretary Clement Dixon 64 Musters Road, Ruddington Nottinghamshire NG11 6HZ 0115 921 1565 clement.dixon@ntlworld.com Projects and Fundraising Dave Watts 24 Sandhurst Avenue, Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 0XL 01384 376494 david@drwatts.co.uk
Anrew.home@integracommunications.co.uk
A Registered Charity 1005139 HMRC number XN84557
Dr Hugh Mason Florence Odeke Christine Moyes Dr Frank Guinness Rev Robert de Berry