September
2012 Report - Changes at Acheru; preparing for work in northern
Uganda and a very special evening in Belfast City Hall
There has been
a big change at Acheru. We have had staff changes from time to
time, a nurse leaving to get married, another going away to
study, but the senior staff have all been there almost from the
start of Cherub. Even when Apollo went to study medicine, he
remained contracted to us, and comes back to work in Acheru
during holidays. Part of the strength of Acheru was that
everyone knew and understood each other so well that they could
be very supportive of each other in a developing unit which
required a lot of flexibility rather than sticking to a precise
job description.
We now have to
come to terms with a big change. The skills of Paul Ochen, our
physiotherapist, were central to the development of Cherub and
then Acheru. Paul always took time to talk not just to the
patients to the family; in fact he usually talked to the family
at length before looking at the child. His assessments and
treatment helped change the lives of many children and families,
but he always wanted the opportunity to study, to develop his
skills. He started working part time at Cherub in 2001, becoming
full time in 2003. We always knew he wanted to study, but it
still came as a surprise when he resigned on 7th September, and
left the next day. He has been given an opportunity to study in
Amsterdam, and we wish him well. He gained a lot of experience
working with us and now, with this training, we hope many more
children will in future benefit from his work.
Some people
were shocked when he left, and were concerned for the future of
Acheru. He will be missed, but the rest of the staff are now
sufficiently experienced to keep everything running smoothly
till a new appointment is made. With the reputation Acheru now
has in Uganda, I don’t think there will be a shortage of
applicants wanting to work there. We have fond memories of Paul,
and some adjustment will now be necessary, but the staff and I
are confident that the work there will continue to set
standards. Pray for wisdom for the Acheru management committee
as they prepare to make a new appointment. They need to think of
applicants’ skills and experience, but also their ability
to fulfil Acheru aims by working with families. We want to
appoint someone who shares our vision, and fully understands
what it is that makes Acheru different.
We have been
blessed that even in this recession not only have we been able
to continue the work of Acheru, but to contemplate development.
We have never had to turn anyone away because we couldn’t
afford to treat them; not only that, but capacity has recently
been increased with more inpatient beds. We think we’ve now
reached the optimum size for the unit, but of course there is
scope to do much more in the community, and we have been looking
closely at work in the north of Uganda.
Development
there will cost more money, and we were cautious about risking
any funds we presently have for the Acheru budget. Friends who
share our vision wanted to do something to help, and decided to
hold a fund raising event. This was very good news, but we never
imagined the scale of what was about to take place. They got the
use of Belfast City Hall, courtesy of the High Sheriff and
Belfast City Council, at no cost, envisaging a supper and some
music/singing for around 100 people. What eventually took place
far exceeded all expectations, with the Great Hall filled to
capacity (and beyond) for an excellent dinner and a programme of
music and singing from New Irish Arts. We were able to launch a
beautifully produced short film on Acheru, which proved very
effective and is now available on DVD to anyone who contacts us.
(Any
problems with this slideshow? Try this alternative
link)
It was a very
special evening, supported by many of our donors but also by
people who are new to our work. We hope they will also have
caught the vision for what we are doing. The event was about
more than money; it was a celebration of all that has taken
place since Cherub was started. But of course funds were raised
too, and after everything was added up we found we had cleared £20,000
– remarkable for one night. We are indebted to everyone who
supported the event; it’s another big step for Acheru. We
are especially grateful to everyone who helped organise it, and
dealt with all the panic as ticket sales grew to over 400 and we
had to start a waiting list.
The Acheru
staff have been preparing the way in the north, and gaining
experience of conditions there. Encouraged by the money we now
have available, we are preparing a detailed proposal for
consideration by the Acheru management committee and by our
Africare committee here. Full details should be available soon,
and we hope and pray that the direct result of so many people
giving generous support will be that lots more lives will be
changed.
