I lived in Uganda for 10 years, Kabale district, working as a volunteer bringing bursaries from my registered charity in the UK for orphans to attend secondary school. In 1986 I was in Kabale for six months to complete development work at the school, called Harambee-Kaharo High School, which I had founded the previous year. I returned again to Scotland in September 1997 and have lived here for the past 11 years but continuing with my work in Uganda. I am personally supporting two orphan brothers, called Ronald Sirikale and John Ayebare, both students at Trinity College Kabale, John in S2 and Ronald in S6.

Unfortunately, Ronald is in poor health. He has been suffering for over a year with what is apparently a stomach ulcer, with quite a lot of pain. For over a year, he has been taking Omeprazole on prescription, but no improvement has been seen. He is attending a consultant doctor, Dr. Keybambe, who asked him, after several other tests, to go to Kabale hospital for endoscopy, but they are unable to carry out this procedure. I believe now that Ronald needs medical attention far better than he can get in Kabale, and I wondered about sending him to Hope Ward.

At Hector’s request, and with his financial support, Hope Ward took up the care and treatment for Ronald. He was reviewed by the surgeon, and an endoscopy was done on his first visit. The surgeon found out that he had a gastric volvulous and bile reflux, incompetent cardia, and Hiatus hernia. Following this he returned and an operation was done to reverse this problem. He went through the Intensive Care Unit following the operation and later back to the Hope Ward. After a few days, Ronald had recovered and left the hospital happy and so grateful to all his sponsors.