Deliveries this week: Wheelchair, 50 mosquito nets and a cow!

One of my jobs here in Uganda is to make people’s requests a reality.  We get many requests from the United States. Special requests, outside of the usual ministry work that we have here.

This week I delivered a wheelchair to Lena.  The wheelchair was a gift from a family who had lost a loved one.  The loved one had made a big impact on their children, so they wanted to make an impact on a child here.  Lena is a special needs child.  Her mother has to carry her to and from the VOE School every day. This was not a problem when she was small, but she is growing.  The mother was so happy to have a wheelchair!  She started clapping and shaking my hand over and over. Saying “Wevale, wevale” (Thank you, thank you)

I also delivered 50 mosquito nets.  A women’s group wanted to make a difference in the lives of some children here.  They sold items to raise the money to buy nets.  Malaria is an awful sickness here that is spread by mosquitos.  Malaria kills many children each year here in Uganda.  If it does not kill them, it causes them to be very sick and miss school time, and reduce their resistance to other sicknesses.  Something as simple as sleeping under a net reduces the child’s risk of malaria greatly.  I was able to go to a local school, choose two classes, 4th and 5^th grade and hand out nets to them.  It was a great surprise to them and the children were very excited to receive them!

Finally, I delivered a cow this week!  A mission team participant who came here last year went back and told a group of homeless men where she volunteers at a shelter about Uganda and the needs here.  They were so moved that they saved their quarters, dimes and nickels to raise enough money to buy a cow for a needy family here!  Think about that!  Homeless men giving what little they have to help a family here in Uganda!  We chose Harriet and her 3 children to receive the cow.  Harriet is the mother of Solivia, the child we have been caring for and treating for severe malnutrition. The cow is 3 months pregnant. When the calf is delivered they will have milk for the children and they will have a means of generating money to support the family!