Dear friends and family,
Below is a letter written by my good friend Lacey Haussamen and another from Father Joe, who I stayed with in Uganda, and one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. Please read the letter and if you are able to give (I know that it is a very hard time for everyone), please consider a small donation. If you are willing to donate, please email me so that I can give you Lacey's mailing address. She will be moving to Uganda in February and will bring the donations. Thank you so much!
Dear all,
I write this in conjunction with two classmates from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory - Linnea Zimmerman who lived with me in Gulu last year, and Jeremy Kane who had a similar internship in Gulu just a few months ago. All three of us had the pleasure of staying with Fr. Joseph Okumu who was one of our gracious hosts. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that Fr. Joe is one of the most wonderful and respected people I know and Uganda is lucky to have him. He definitely has the best interest of the Ugandan people in mind and he works very hard to improve the lives of people so traumatized by over 20 years of war. We all learned a great deal from him about northern Uganda and its people.
Fr. Joe is from the small village of Poronga in Pader District – an area hit very hard by the war. He has taken a special interest rebuilding a health center in the village. According to him, the area has no adequately functioning health center right now and transport to other areas for treatment is challenging on many levels. This region of Uganda has finally reached a tentative, but welcomed state of peace and relative stability in terms of the war. The real challenges now are rebuilding infrastructure, outside of the camps, that has been totally destroyed or prevented by the war. Working alongside his community, Fr. Joe is trying to renovate a community health center and make it a functional service for the community. They know they cannot wait for the proper government services to reach the area because they are generally slow to come, if ever. They are supporting the education of at least one nurse who will come to work full-time in the center. They plan to train more as resources become available.
Another crucial need right now is the actual renovation and repair of the building itself, along with the stocking of delivery beds, other tools and equipment, and the necessary drugs and supplies to properly treat patients. While the material and supply needs are great, it is also essential to great a quality infrastructure for the center that can be maintained, kept sanitary and offers a quality of care that is welcoming and attractive to the community. The community and Fr. Joe have decided to prioritize the strengthening of the infrastructure while their nurse is completing his education. I have attached a full spreadsheet of building renovation costs that Fr. Joe gives to people who ask how they might help him. The building renovation will take place in three phases:
Phase I: walls, pavement, floor and verandah – 24,381,000
Phase II: roofing, painting and glass fitting – 36,408,600
Phase III: windows, shutters – 6,693,400
Total: UgSh = 67,483,000 = USD 38,126
I know this is a huge sum, but Fr. Joe has expressed that any small amount contributed will help the community make this a reality. They are contributing in kind donations as well (cement, bricks, etc.) though the reality is that the poverty that pervades the northern population is deep and not easily overcome. So the people contribute what they can, but even with that, every little bit can help.
We are asking that in lieu of Christmas gifts, please consider contributing that money to this cause. It does not matter how small the donation. If you feel strongly that your contribution be used for supplies, drugs, delivery beds, or any other specific need, please let us know and I am sure Fr. Joe and the community will honor that. I will be traveling to Uganda in February and can take it then, or depending on how much we collect, we may wire the money together. Please do not feel that you have to donate anything, I am only asking this in lieu of gifts.
The following is a letter from Fr. Joe, so he can tell you about the health center in his own words.
Poronga Health Center
Greetings from me in Gulu. I have been visiting Poranga Catholic Parish location in Pader to work out the cost of renovation of the Health Centre. I now have it as you can see in this attachment. I know it is difficult to come bye such a huge amount of money. We will appreciate whatever little amount you will be able to find. Please know also that I send the same cost to people I guess may help. We have been having torrential rains even in November but in the last three days it stopped. I hope it will remain dry for a long time to allow people dry their crops. There is a huge movement of people back to their own homes following the peace that is. The grass is ready dry and so the Acholi people who build with grass are now busy cutting it to thatch their huts in villages. The priests are having the difficult task to reach the people in their widely spread villages. The Acholi people are very happy now that they can live in their villages in more decent homes. The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is instead disastrous. Thousands of children and women who are often defenseless are seen tracking miles and miles on foot to enter western Uganda. It is so painful to see them in that condition. We still need to pray a lot for them.
Greetings to you all.
Regards, Fr. Joe
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