It has been a long time. “It has been a long time” is a gracious way to open a conversation in Uganda with someone not recently seen. It has been a very long time since our last newsletter but the work on the ground is continuing with good news flowing from the projects we are supporting. Thanks Thank you everybody for being part of the Gulu Connection family; for praying, for giving and also for using Give as you Live, the website that enables us to receive money for any online purchases supporters make.. Please do use this. If you would like any advice, just ask. Punu Dyang Massive Impact Punu Dyang, the tiny health centre started from scratch in the jungle in 2017 as a satellite from Oberabic has had a massive impact. Currently malaria is on the rise and the single nurse saw 386 patients, mostly malaria, in one month. What a man! Great work saving lives. In such a remote area, death is an ever present danger from Malaria. The picture shows the clinic with a different nurse working. Communal Violence The Puny Dyang area has been subject to communal violence consigning locals to live in very shabby huts or make do with ones that have been torched. Tessa has been researching the conflict and sent some photos. Success Story Fiona sent a moving story Contributed by a grateful father. It is printed here in full. “It was on a Friday when my son fell ill, me I thought it was malaria because he was looking weak, I had some malaria medicine in the house (caortem). I started giving him to take, and he took 2 tablets each day for 2 days. There was some improvement on Saturday and I thought it was okay, on Sunday at around midnight he could not even breath well and was not even walking, I did not know what was happening to him, we carried him very fast and came to this facility but it was closed, we had to run to the nurse at his place, he then came quickly with us at night, he looked at the child and put him on the bed, he started touching him with his machines, he gave him some drugs there and then to take. The nurse also stayed there with us for some times to watch him then he went back and told us to stay there until morning as he will also be coming to check on him. At least he started breathing well when it was coming to morning. The nurse came back again to check on him and told us it was pneumonia and not malaria. Again he added another medicine and gave us some to take and be giving him from home. I don’t know what would have happened if punudyang health centre was not brought here by the Diocese, my son would have died. I give thanks to the nurse, Innocent the nurse you brought here is a good person and also in this facility at least there is always drugs given to patients not like other places and the price is low for us the poor people. Thank you Diocese for bringing this Health Centre here.” Am Opio Stephen. Oberabic Maternity Earlier this year Nick commented “Oberabic had 22 deliveries last month, which is fantastic to see, and the wonderful new delivery suite certainly came at the perfect time both for the health center and the community.” The Trustees say thank you to Gulu Connection supporters who enabled us to get this important unit built. Land Dispute A long-standing niggle with the landowners who provided land for Oberabic came to a head some months ago. Nick was in the UK (see below) and so the matter was handled with great skill by Fiona, administrator to the health care coordination office. Fiona managed to negotiate a fair price for the land in exchange for a document from the family that signed the land over to the Health Centre. Of course there was a cost, actually very modest for a large plot of land, and Gulu Connection was delighted to provide the money for this important settlement which will give much needed security. Meeting with Family Members   Signing Documents by Family Members Nick and Tessa Nick and Tessa returned to Uganda in July having spent some months in Cambridge undertaking higher degrees. It was great to see them shortly before they returned. I forgot to take a photo so here is one from Facebook Thank you again for standing with us as we seek to support the health care team in Uganda With warmest appreciation Pete On behalf of NOCF IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP... You can donate by : Bank transfer and adding your name as reference. Account Name. NOCF Account number : 00190468 Sort code: 30-90-95 Or by making a cheque payable to Nechells and Overseas Care Fund and then sending it to the following address : Mr Peter Hill - Charity Administrator 47 Heneage Street Nechells Birmingham B7 4NF If you would prefer not to receive our emails – please reply with unsubscribe in the subject line ©2019 Nechells and Overseas Care Fund | 47 Heneage Street, Birmingham B7 4NF