Work update

We are really encouraged that we have seen some amazing breakthroughs in our work recently. It feels like many of the prayers we have prayed are now being answered, particularly regarding funding opportunities but also in terms of the unity and capability of our staff team, planning for the future when we leave here and partnership opportunities. Most importantly though, we continue to see lives being changed.

Last week Ruth handed out certificates to our Bambejja trainees at their graduation. Many have overcome huge emotional and personal obstacles to get this far and we notice such a change in them over the year - in terms of their self-confidence, their attitides and behaviour, the pride they begin to take in themselves and of course their increased skills. We pray that, like many of the previous graduates, they manage to find suitable employment and put into practice many of the things they have learned over the year. Above is a photo of some of our trainees putting their catering training into practice.

Our younger Bambejja girls are doing well.
Our nurse has just completed a course in HIV counselling and has now started the long process of testing all the girls for HIV. This involves counselling the parents/carers as to why it is important to get tested and then taking the girl to a specialist clinic at the local hospital. Thankfully, although she is testing the priority cases first (those who have an HIV infected parent or who are often ill), no girl has tested positive yet. As a result of the counselling even some of the carers have decided to get themselves tested.

The girls who were tested previously and were found to be HIV positive are doing really well now that they are receiving the right treatment and care. They are back at school and joining in with all the noraml activities a child enjoys.

The Beersheba Project in Mbale is going from strength to strength. The girls who have been part of the project have undergone some serious change, in terms of increased self-esteem and confidence, as well as developing lots of new skills.

The father of one of our girls described how his wife had got involved in witchcraft and had then left (as the man is a Christian) taking his youngest child with her and leaving the other three. He was very happy with what the Beersheba Project was doing with his youngest daughter:

"At home she is without a mother, but there at the project she has a mother. She is a big encouragement to me and is challenging her older brother and sister in how to behave. Often the older ones can be nasty to her but she shows them love saying that at the project they are taught to forgive and be nice to each other. This can often reduce the older ones to tears. She is also helping them with Maths and English (despite the fact they are in formal education!)"

Hello from Kampala!

We are slowly discovering new technology and thought we'd try and set up a blog so we can post photos and give you a few more updates in between our regular newsletters.

This is Sipi Falls on Mount Elgon - a truly beautiful and breathtaking place. We stayed in the eco-friendly lodge that you can just about see to the right of the falls. From there were spectacular views all down the Sipi valley to the plains of north and eastern Uganda.

A memorable moment was sitting on the terrace and watching a huge thunderstorm brewing way into the distance, followed by an immense downpour and both fork and sheet lightning - very dramatic. It's at those times that you can feel very small, insignificant and fragile in light of the power of nature!

Here is Ruth doing a flying leap off a rope swing into Lake Bunyonyi, down in the south west of Uganda, where we took some other friends who visited us recently. I'd like to have waved for the camera but I was too scared!