KUMI COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
DECEMBER 2020 UPDATE
As 2021 draws to a close and we start a fresh year full of anticipation, it is time to reflect on the past twelve months which have been dominated by the continuation of the pandemic. None of us, here in England and in Uganda, has been thwarted too much and the Trust now recognises even more what a great asset the Kumi team is thanks to the internet which enables us to keep in contact most of the time.
December has been as productive as usual with Antony going out into the field for home visits to identify and assess children in need of rehabilitation or surgery while checking on their home situation. Goats have been bought as well as mattresses so that these children can have the comfort of a more restful night. Some have been added to the wheelchair list for when Wheels for the World visit in February when the team will distribute one hundred wheelchairs which, as I write, are on their way in a container. Our builder, Alex, has given us a costing for a simple house for Akol Christine, a cerebral palsy girl whose mother has been abandoned by the father because of the condition of their child. These mothers end up homeless and without resources to grow crops for food. Earlier this month, we funded twenty orthopaedic surgeries performed by a visiting Dutch medical team.
Back home, we held a Christmas wreath-making evening which went well in spite of it being the night of Storm Arwen with blizzards, gales, thunder and lightning. Participants were brave to venture out but the evening went well and over £700.00 was raised for our funds. Our gift cards sold well especially the new addition of “I bought you a Christmas dinner” version.
There are many uncertainties at present such as will the container reach Kumi Hospital in time for the distribution? Will the WFTW team finally make it to Kumi with the COVID hurdles and any travel arrangements changing in an instant? My plans with my flights already booked are to arrive a week before the team so that all is prepared and goes smoothly. If all else fails, the distribution will go ahead virtually with the UK and Kumi team working alongside each other depending on the internet status. Two of our grandchildren are coming as well as Lynne and her daughter and they will be equally disappointed if we remain at home.
So we ended the year as we began with all the uncertainties of the coming months but may 2022 prove to be the turning point when we are in control of the Covid virus instead of vice versa. A very happy and healthy 2022 to you and thank you from the Trustees, the Kumi KCF team and the families who have benefited greatly from your generosity.
PS Our website is being updated so please take a look at www.kumicommunityfoundation.co.uk
