Ruth Gracey, one of the Suubi Trust Trustees, writes:
“A highlight of my recent trip to Uganda was the opportunity to travel to Lira and meet the team at the clinic there.
Situated 6 hours drive north of Kampala, Lira was severely affected by the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Thousands of people fled their homes in the countryside and took refuge in the town.
Aid agencies established emergency camps on the edge of town, on school playing fields, or anywhere where there was space. Schools struggled to function, and local medical facilities were overwhelmed. The situation was further complicated by the number of children who had lost one or both of their parents, and by the spread of HIV/AIDS. It is only in the last two or three years, with the retreat of the LRA, that the camps have been disbanded and displaced people have begun to return to their home villages.
With the support of the Suubi Trust the Lira clinic is able to treat up to 200 charity patients a month. Each charity treatment is subsidised, with the patient paying only 2,000 shillings (less than £1). Each month health education worker Ambrose Ogwang distributes charity referral forms to a number of schools, churches and other community groups. These groups then select individuals, often children, who are in need of medical treatment but unable to afford the standard fees.
Ambrose took us on a tour of Lira and introduced us to some of the groups who participate in the referral system. Over the course of the day we met head teachers, deputy heads, pastors, church workers, and representatives of community organisations, all of whom expressed their thanks for the support of Suubi Trust. We were also able to meet some people who had benefitted directly from treatment at the clinic.
Arriving at Lira Primary School during morning break we were given an enthusiastic welcome by hundreds of excited children! Deputy head teacher Mr Yapi Sam Bob explained that many pupils at the school come from very poor families, but with access to medical care, enrolment and attendance at the school have improved.
While at the school we were delighted to meet Zulaika, who had been referred to the clinic some time ago. She was found to have a heart condition, but is now receiving the drugs she needs and is back at school. Her family came to Lira during the insurgency, and have chosen to remain there for the moment, so that Zulaika will have access both to education and to the medical care she needs.
Mr Yapi Sam Bob especially asked us to pass on his greetings and thanks to St Peter’s School in Canterbury, who have raised money to help pupils at the school receive treatment at the clinic.
At the New Covenant Christian Centre we were introduced to Margaret, an older lady who had suffered for some time with stomach problems. She had gone to a local clinic and been told that she would need tests and medicines, neither of which she could afford.
The church referred her to the IMCC clinic, where she was treated successfully. Now that she can cook and look after herself again her son has been able to return to college and resume his studies to be a health worker.
Later in the day we visited St Phillip’s Catholic Church and Nursery School.
Once again we received a very warm welcome, with the children forming an impromptu choir to sing to us!
The boy in the blue tee shirt is just one of those from St Phillips treated at the clinic and now back at school.
Our final visit of the day was to the Concerned Parents Association (CPA), founded in 1996 when the LRA abducted 139 girls from St Mary’s College, Aboke. It was only earlier this year that the last of the girls finally returned. The CPA now offers support to formerly abducted children, provides vocational training for orphans and vulnerable young people, and offers training in conflict resolution.
Just before Easter they erected a memorial to the victims of the LRA insurgency on one of the main roundabouts in Lira.
At the end of our brief, but busy, visit to Lira it was obvious that there is a huge need for health education and subsidised medical care amongst the poorest of Lira’s community. Ambrose and the rest of the IMCC team are making a valuable contribution towards meeting that need, and very much appreciate the funding and support they receive from UK.”
