KUMI COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONFEBRUARY 2020 DIARY Wednesday 12 February 2020

1. KUMI COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FEBRUARY 2020 DIARYWednesday 12 February 2020Walkling up to the hospital, I greeted the old man still weeding the ground and slowly making progress. Perhaps I would have stopped to help but I continued to the hospital. Day 5 and the last day of the wheelchair distribution! The storeroom was basically bare with but a few straggling items remaining. The team started clearing up but patients kept coming until the store was completely bare. I went to the ward with David to find little Christine who was having her pressure sores dressed. They looked clean and relatively healthy so she may not need to have them desloughed in theatre as thought. The parents can rest assured that they will have no fear of hospital bills thanks to the Wheels team. Back in the workshop, the very last wheelchair had been allocated to Wilson, a 19 year old who had fallen from a mango tree years back and who was paralysed from the waist down. The last chair was also the best one and he sat so comfortably in it but, like Christine, his pressure sores needed medical attention. KCF will settle his bills so that the whole team can return home knowing it has done its very best for each patient. Dave, Charis, Moira and I set off for Soroti to meet up with Ruth. Dave was interested to hear from Ruth what services could be available and then we went on through Soroti to visit the home of Akono Josephine, the post polio lady who received a wheelchair on Saturday. We found her with her family, three of whom are inflicted with a similar syndrome to hers. Her tricycle looked way beyond repair but it was decided that it could be repaired for 200,000 UGX which Dave would pay for. Her brother, Edepu Francis, also had a dilapidated tricycle which would need 90,000 UGX to repair to enable him to return to school. In addition, he needed 150,000 UGX (less than £30.00) to return to school. They were an industrious family with Josephine busy on her sewing machine, Francis making a reed mat from papyrus and the mother podding tamarind pods. We left them in positive mood now that their mobility and education issues are sorted. (A post script to this is that a message came through as I write (14/02/20) that Josephine’s tricycle has already been repaired and she is back on the road!) Thank you, Dave! One more visit to make and Ruth told us it was about ten minutes away but half an hour later, we reached the home of a women’s group member where she had assembled the other members with the product of the goats we had given them; a small herd of healthy cows were the result of bartering the goats as they increased in number for cows some of which were producing milk. Their savings system was working well and their bank balance looked healthy. We had little time to stay when I promised to return later in the year and bring them new packs of Afripads as those we gave them a few years ago were worn out. We waved them farewell and Peter drove at great speed to return to the hospital as tonight was party night for those connected to the Wheels team at North East Villa. I washed and changed into my gomaz (African traditional dress) in record time. Many extra staff were there not realising it was by invitation only and I dread to think what the team had finally to pay. The evening was lively with Davis, Michael’s puppet, giving a performance as well as Lynne and Neil demonstrating their ballroom dancing skills. Gifts were given out, a cake presented to Lynne and then the dancing started with a disco playing out rhythmical music. One more day which will be spent on a day out to Lake Bisina where the team will paddle their own canoes to Tisai Island. 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 +6