Update

Thank you for checking in to the blog. There is a lot of good work going on in Gulu

Advances continue

Dr Nick Laing and Fiona working in the diocesan and health coordination office are moving things along well. Our money has been used to assist in a number of ways.

Oberabic

Oberabic, the health centre in the most impoverished community, has been assisted by Gulu Connection with:

• provision of solar power,
• refurbishment of accommodation block,
• provision of a solar fridge,
• purchasing most of their drugs,
• paying for one nurse assistant,
• financing an incentive scheme for the staff at the health centre to increase their provision of family planning services. Limiting the size of families is a key component in improving maternal child mortality and health.
• Purchase of motor bike
• We have agreed to upgrade the solar installation to make the solar fridge fully reliable.

Annette with renovated block

St Peter’s Health Centre, Awere

This health centre serves the second poorest community and has made magnificent – and to Peter’s unfaithful thinking - unexpected progress over the last couple of years. Gulu Connection is providing the whole of one qualified nurse’s salary and subsidising a second.

Saint Luke's health Centre Koro – just outside Gulu



New St Luke's Building

This was housed in a very inadequate shop unit. In the autumn of 2015 Gulu Connection provided £5000 to complete a new health centre building which is a massive improvement on what went before.

 

 

More news soon - hopefully!!!

Blog is back

It really has been a long time but Gulu Connection blog is back.

We thought the best way to start would be to copy in a video we received from Nick Lang health coordinator of the diocese which shows white ants being harvested and cooked. This is fun, but more importantly the introductory words and atmosphere of the video demonstrates the huge progress materially and in morale at this Health Centre - Oberabic - located in our poorest area. Nick’s Acholi language seems pretty good too!

We hope you enjoy the video.

Please click to watch : White Ants

Malaria at Oberabic

Malaria on the Rise

Malaria is on the rise in the Gulu area because house spraying
has stopped. We do not know why this has happened.

Consultation

This little girl is ill and has been brought to Nurse Chris. Note Mum is pregnant - Family planning is a big need which we are attending to.

Before we were involved all such patients were given malaria treatment leading to stock outs, missed diagnosis and waste of money. Now each patient has a finger prick test that makes a clear diagnosis

Happy Mum!   

Team

Danny, (standing) is the most recent trained nurse who has joined Annette (sitting) who is in charge.

                   

                      Give as You Live- No Cost to You.                          

 Once again we asking you to help us by shopping through Give as      You Live. So far no one has. On line purchases and in store at            Sainsburys makes money for us with no cost to you. Whatever you  are buying please do it through Give as you live. Please click  this Link to get started.

          UK News  - Congratulations Gemma.

Gemma who does a lot of our Gulu Connection
work has just graduated in Theology with a 2:1
from Birmingham University.

Congratulations  Gemma!!

MONEY MAGIC

Three Easy Ways to Help Now

Will you spare the time?
Check out: "Give as you Live." No cost to you. 

Why Help?

Lives are saved. In March 2013, one of our antenatal patients chose not to have her child at the HC and like many others, died in labour. As we develop our unit, more will come and lives will be saved. We also save lives by providing easy access centres to treat malaria and gastroenteritis.

Illnesses healed. Without our help guy's like this go blind - all for the sake of eye drops and advice. In Africa malnutrition and poor hygiene means small illnesses often become major . This conjunctivitis in Africa can lead to Trachoma and blindness. Our project is working in Uganda so more lads can get advice and drops and not go blind.

     

How to Help? - Just takes some time. 

Idea 1 - Give As You Live - No Financial Cost!!

Books, DVDs, food or holidays -  Amazon, Eden, Sainsbury’s 
or E-bookers - wherever you shop online - you could help us  
with no financial cost to your self,

All you need to do is sign up with Give As You Live 

by clicking this link : www.giveasyoulive.com/join/nechells. 

Please make time to do this.

Idea 2 - Give a Little; Get a Lot Campaign - Money you wont miss

                      We give a little; They get a lot!

Be a hero and save lives. Please consider setting up a standing order for an amount you won’t miss -- say £1.00/month.  It will make a big difference to our poor patients. It will take a little time; perhaps you might do it. 

Details

• Bank TSB
• Sort: 30 - 90 - 95
• Account No: 0190468
• Name: Nechells and Overseas Care Fund (NOCF)

Idea 3 - Recycle Printer Cartridge

So simple. So effective. Please put your used printer

cartridges (not toners) into one of our envelopes.  We

can send you an envelope or you can order  direct  

from the charity recycle firm by clicking this

link www.recycle4charity.co.uk/Register/C59069

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Three ideas which will cost nothing or very little financially. We hope you will spare the time. 

A New Beginning

We are delighted that Dr Nicolas Laing joined the Diocesan  team in January 2015.

Nick with wife Tessa have built and live in local style huts. They work in their community and are involved in several worthwhile projects. Amazing folk - real missionaries. Check out their blog: click link. Lets provide as much support as we can for Nick.









Nick has also recruited 24 year old Akwero Fiona to work with him in the office. Akwero graduated with a degree in demography and reproductive health care, and this is her first full time paid job. We look forward to working with her and pray that she settles in well.

 

 

 

Reward In Heaven


Paska and Maxwell have advanced the health care project on their own for 2 years as the Diocese would not allow visits to the Health Care work from outside Uganda. They have coped with many challenges and done a good job. It has been very stressful but they have continued faithfully in the service of poor people. Now Dr Nick is in post, they are free to leave and we wish them every success in all they chose to do in the future.

 

Stop Press - Reward Now!

Paska has just landed a job with an NGO that deals with land disputes (and was shortlisted for another job). This is an amazing achievement. We thank God for His providence.



Oberabic - Still Battling On

Oberabic is the Health Centre in the area of greatest need. It is where most people die needlessly and where most lives can be saved.

It is very remote and although beautiful, is a difficult place to live and work. A further complication is that there are some people in the community who become aggressive causing good staff to leave.
Also, the latest qualified staff have not worked out and moved on. The excellent nurse assistants are
holding the fort whilst new qualified staff are appointed. 

 

 

We stand ready to support Nick in trying again to develop this important unit and have offered to subsidise good staff to incentivise them to stay. Also, we are ready to provide more equipment and give help with structural needs including improvement to staff accommodation (see picture - each unit is one room, no electricity, water by pump which is not functioning well), improved security, solar energy and improving the delivery room.

 

                                   This is where our money can be most effective in saving lives.

 

 

ANOTHER PICTURE THAT TELLS A STORY
You can help - It's Easy.
A little of your time will go a long way. 

Africa is different from the UK. We are normally fit and can resist most diseases. When illness does break through, there is the NHS

In Africa malnutrition and poor hygiene means small illnesses often become major  - and when they do there is little medical cover. 

So this lad. He was wandering around outside a health centre. His eye swelling was so gross, I was not sure what it was - then the penny dropped -  Conjunctivitis - with a lot of rubbing with grubby hands. In the UK a whiff of drops. In Africa rubbing and infection can lead to Trachoma then blindness. It is so unfair!! 

Our project is working in Uganda so more lads can get advice and drops and not go blind. 

..........................................................................................................

And you can help by:

• Joining Give As You Live. It's an easy way to do your shopping online while supporting us without cost to yourselves. Here is the link : Click here 
• Joining the Give a Little; Get a Lot campaign.
• Recycling your used printer cartridges in our envelopes

For details and other ideas, please click this link

HOW TO HELP

also SKILLS

Update

UK Money is making a difference. The office is totally dependent on our funding and now we have increasing opportunities to save lives by upgrading Oberabic further.

We have some skills help in the UK. It would be great to have more. 

Here are four money raising ideas.

Idea 1 - Recycle Printer Cartridge

So simple. So effective. Please put your used printer cartridges in one of our envelopes. We can send one to you if you give our address or you can order direct from the charity recycle firm by clicking this link.. www.recycle4charity.co.uk/Register/C59069

Toners. If you have access to these, please let us know so we can arrange collection.

Idea 2 - Give a Little;Get a Lot. 

We give a little; They get a lot! Be a hero and save lives. Please consider setting up a standing order for £1.00/month. It will make a big difference to us. It takes a little time; please do it now!

Details

• Bank TSB
• Sort: 30 - 90 - 95
• Account No: 0190468
• Name: Nechells and Overseas Care Fund (NOCF)

If you would like to gift aid your donation please print this form (Form Here) and post or scan it back to us . If you don't have time for the gift aid, skip it and  just complete the donation  -  please.

Idea 3 - Charity Choice
If you prefer to give a one off by credit card
please click this link (Link)  Donation button
is yellow, top right of page. Gift aid can be
organised through the site.

Idea 4 - Advocacy

How about that MAD thing -- Making A Difference. Would you be willing to ask your friends and contacts to recycle their spent printer cartridges for us?. My dentist and tennis club are onto it -  Church next. Could you do it? We can send you our leaflet if you ask on dnuds321@gmail.com.. It outlines the used printer idea an also our needs.

And we also need help with skills

Idea 5 - skills

We really need help with

• IT to produce this blog, letters and eventually website
• Fund raising. People with skills and time to help us with this.
• People able to go to visit Uganda: to take photo’s, do reports, to build, to administer, doctors, nurses.

We are working on other ideas

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MAIN BENEFICIARY -Oberabic Health Centre

Main Beneficiary - Oberabic Health Centre -            Main Need  - Solar for fridge and light                                                                                                                                for Night Deliveries

Oberabic Health Centre.

£5000 needed.

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For details on how and why to help please click this  link