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| Circular -
December 2012 |
| A lot has
happened over the last year, personally and with Acheru. A high
point was going to Buckingham Palace in May to collect my MBE,
but then two weeks later I was in hospital for major heart
surgery. This turned into a longer stay than anticipated because
of infections, which they were unable to identify. Then, two
months after my surgery, when they were about to start me on
lengthy inpatient treatment with what they termed toxic
antibiotics, the infection suddenly cleared and I was allowed
home – with dire warnings about coming back at the first
sign of trouble. But there were no problems, and I haven’t
looked back. Thank you to all who visited, prayed, sent messages
of encouragement. I didn’t like being out of action for two
months, but have to accept that the rest of the world managed to
carry on without me. |
| With Acheru, we’ve
been encouraged to see the work continue to grow, meaning more
children treated. We now have to plan very carefully as we face
rising costs. We have 32 inpatient beds at Acheru, all for
surgical cases. We refer them for surgery to CoRSU –
Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services Uganda. They are the NGO
running the big children’s hospital at Kisubi, and
specialise in orthopaedic and plastic surgery. When we started
Cherub, surgery was carried out by CBM (who now fund CoRSU). The
arrangement was that they provided surgery, we provided
rehabilitation. We didn’t see the children as ‘CBM’
patients, or ‘Cherub’ patients, we each did what we
could to help needy children. |
| In the
following years various changes were introduced, so we had to
take on more of the responsibility for the children. With the
CoRSU hospital, they may be admitted for surgery and stay for a
few days, but can then be with us at Acheru for months or even
years of rehabilitation. These hospital costs have become an
increasing concern. For this year, CoRSU waived some charges,
and some were met by CBM, but there is uncertainty over what
will happen next year. It is helpful for us if relatives can
contribute to the cost of a child’s care but we are dealing
with very poor people, particularly in the north. This year, the
average charge to Acheru for a referred patient is £38.
Without subsidy, this would have been £163, so it’s a
very significant difference, and even that is just a small part
of what it may cost Acheru by the time the child is well enough
to go home. We have never turned away a child because of cost
and hope we never will, but we have to face these concerns. You
as donors have been faithful to the work, and we don’t feel
it’s right to cut back in any way, so are going ahead with
development in the north. What we do there will be carefully
monitored and evaluated. There is great need there; donors give
us money to treat children, and we are trying to reach the most
needy. We’ve largely completed development of Acheru, so
now intend using all money given for the running budget. The aim
remains to treat as many children as possible. Take a look at
the pictures with this letter, and try to imagine what would
have happened to these children if we hadn’t helped. |
| The Acheru
staff put a lot of thought into how we could work effectively in
the north. All along we have heard others talk of what they were
going to do there, but it simply hasn’t happened. Acheru
has now agreed a memorandum of understanding with Minakulu
health centre, near Gulu. We are recruiting local staff who will
work from the centre, and we will equip examination and
treatment facilities there. We already have a community based
rehabilitation worker there and now want to appoint an
orthopaedic officer, physiotherapist, and nurse. The aim is that
Minakulu will become the referral centre for a wide area. This
is a very significant development. As well as assessing and
referring surgical cases there is scope for outpatient work, and
for community work which will make people more aware of the help
available for disabled children. Now the government in the north
are taking an interest. They say the existing medical services
can’t cope with the type of work we do, and they have
offered us buildings at Minakulu to provide accommodation for
workers, and a small inpatient unit. This is much more than we
had intended, with serious cost implications, but we must
consider it seriously as we could treat many more children. |
| It’s very
difficult at present to estimate numbers, but there’s now
potential for Acheru to take between 300 and 400 surgical
patients over the next year, in addition to outpatient and
community work. In one way the potential costs are daunting, but
then from the day we started Cherub, taking a huge step of
faith, donors have backed us and now thousands of children have
had their lives changed. It’s a work with dramatic results
and a widespread impact, particularly in view of the prevalence
of witchcraft in the areas where we’re working. I suspect
most of the children brought to Acheru will have been with the
witchdoctor first, often with devastating consequences. We need
to educate the community, and the most effective way of doing
this is to let them see the change which results when a child is
brought to us. |
| There was a
time when the age of 65 seemed to me to be positively ancient,
and I couldn’t imagine ever being that age myself –
yet I’m now almost there. I’ve been asked a number of
times about retirement, but let me please make it absolutely
clear that I have no intention whatever of retiring from
Africare. I want others to take more responsibility both with
Africare here and Acheru in Uganda, so that it all doesn’t
just depend on me, but Hazel and I both intend continuing for as
long as we’re able. |
| Brian Dorman |
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Two examples of
the suffering inflicted by the witch doctor.
Both children now successfully
treated. |
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'African
Child' by Ross Wilson
Donated by the artist to raise
funds for Acheru.
We are now taking orders for
Limited Edition A4 size prints, signed and mounted, at £50
each. |
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