Three weeks ago I prepared an optimistic Blog which looked forward to a return to normal for Ugandan children. It is heart-breaking that I have had to scrap that article. From an improving situation in the villages, they have fallen to the worst position yet.
First of all the government put all schools back into lockdown for another 42 days, intending that classes would resume in mid-July. But now? Who knows?
The number of cases and, sadly, fatal attacks have risen sharply. In the villages where we work, more than 20 people have died (although it is likely to be more by now). Everybody has lost someone in their family. Previously there hadn’t been a single case in Bulumbu or Bubebbere. As I understand it, this has been caused in part by people fleeing the city. This includes those who brought their dead to the rural areas to be buried.
There is a chronic shortage of vaccines. In a country of 40 million people, they have received fewer than a million doses. Testing charges and costs for those hospitalised are prohibitive for people who struggle to feed themselves. Patients in a hospital’s high dependency unit are billed daily for (among other charges) doctors’ and nursing costs as well as basics such as the provision of oxygen.
When I started to write this, the staff of Little Angels and Golden College were planning to meet in order to seek a way forward. Since then the government has locked down transport and people are not allowed to move from one district to another. Additionally a night-time curfew has been imposed.
If it were not for the finance that we provide, the 3 schools would be at great risk of closing permanently. Already 600 Ugandan schools and their buildings are up for sale; the futures of a generation of children are at great risk.
We are very grateful
As many of you are aware, I was very worried that the Ugandan school lockdown would adversely affect the sponsorship programme. You have been wonderful. Not a single sponsor has dropped out.
Even better. Since the start of the school closures early last year, 12 new sponsors have come on board. That is an amazing and heart-warming fact.
I recently made a direct appeal on social media platforms. A new kind of poverty has hit the villages where we work – caused purely by the Covid pandemic. City dwelling parents who could no longer afford to care for their children abandoned boys and girls with relatives who are themselves in poverty. We wanted to get these youngsters back in school.
The appeal immediately brought in three new sponsors.
You are now directly sponsoring 123 children, the highest number to date. In addition to that, we are supporting 22 girls in the Little Angels Children’s Home.
The Skills Centre at Bulumbu
The construction of the skills centre was initially delayed by heavy rains, but finally the contractors got back to work. And then …… as the government has stopped people from moving from community to community, progress came to a halt. The struggle is now on to find local labourers who can continue the work.
In a positive development, we are now able to use these concrete blocks which are being made at our Vocational Centre at Golden College in Nsaggu. But now this seems a minor bright spot in the whole run of things.
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Note: The situation is changing so rapidly that I have had to rewrite the leading article several times. Please bear with us. Things may well have changed again by the time this edition has been published.
Keith,
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Forever Friends of Uganda 
So many problems for those poor young people. Many thanks for keeping us informed.
Hope all is well with you and Jeanette. We are climbing out of the pit in Canada at the moment, but so often one hears of countries backsliding. So, here’s hoping that our moving to Stage 2 of opening this week isn’t too early.
K
Sent from Outlook
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Hi Keith,
Saddened to hear your tragic account of what is happening in Uganda. The ghastly thing is that this must be a pretty world-wide phenomenon that we are simply unaware of. It is good that our effort at least is holding up.
At some stage we may need to put more in to aid a return to normality but it is hard to see how that can be more than a drop in the bucket. At least the FFOU have their hearts in the right place and will try to do something to help.
Keep us posted.
Andrew
Thanks for the update Keith, will continue to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. We’re gradually getting vaccinated here, being one of the slightly older ones at 60 I’ve had both doses. We expect the usual small flood of native Lucillos from Madrid and Barcelona in the coming weeks, lovely for the old ones here to see their families at last. Hopefully all the 62 permanent residents will be vaccinated by then, but it’s going to be a bit close!
Love to you both,
Sue
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