| March 2013
Report - Work starting in northern Uganda and volunteers
offering to help at Acheru |
| Hazel and I
spent long enough in Uganda and South Africa to get used to the
heat, so it’s been a shock to come back to what we’re
experiencing now. We’re trying to catch up with everything. |
| We have revised
the Acheru budgets and provided money for some building work and
repairs to be completed, all with the aim of having Acheru
filled with patients. We are paying hospital costs separately,
to remove a variable and hopefully make budgeting easier. This
is stretching us, but we want to see everything fully used. We
need to be careful not to overreach but we are thinking about
the need for another staff member, and also more representation
on the management committee, bearing in mind the loss of Paul
and Apollo. |
| Sam has been to
the north again to look at arrangements for our work there. We
had a disappointment with the loss of some of the facilities we
had hoped for, but are going ahead with recruitment of staff and
setting up of an outpatient unit. Sam has been meeting with
district leaders and community groups, all of whom reinforced
the need for Acheru’s services there. We want to work as
closely as possible with any groups represented there. We can
take referrals from them, and there may be medical services
which we can make use of. Sam met with some visiting Northern
Ireland doctors and we hope it will be possible to work with
their organisations in future. He also met an Italian surgeon
working at a hospital in the area, and he has offered to help
with surgery for osteomyelitis patients who need a single
operation. This would be very helpful, as otherwise surgical
patients need to be referred to Acheru. |
| The communities
Sam visited are all very keen to work with us, and the
expectation is that we will be brought lots of children in need
of help. What we can provide through Acheru can change their
lives. |
| Work is under
way at Minakulu renovating a building and finding staff
accommodation so it shouldn’t be long until we’re
fully established there. |
| Another
encouragement has been the volunteers who have offered to help
at Acheru for varying periods of time. This extends the services
we can provide, eases the burden on our own staff, and can also
save money. We’re grateful for these offers of help, and
hope all visitors will benefit from their time and find it
enriching. |
| Update: Baluka
Zaitini, the girl with the neglected leg injury I mentioned in
the last circular, has now had surgery and is recovering well at
Acheru. |
| Brian Dorman |
