| Circular -
June 2015, with extracts from 2014 Acheru annual report |
| There is
continuing work and discussions following Una and Phyllis’s
evaluation, and we hope to have more developments to report
soon. |
| All that’s
taking place is only possible because of your help. We restate
our commitment to spending all donations on the work in Uganda,
with no deductions for administration here. |
| We didn’t
know how we could proceed when we left Cherub and Besaniya, but
in the six years since we started Acheru we have experienced
such blessing, and seen development we could never have hoped
for. The aim continues to be the bringing of a practical
manifestation of Christ’s love, as a means of communicating
the gospel to people who are suffering, and need more than
words. |
| We have treated
large numbers of children, but this only serves to remind us of
so many more who need our help. |
| The following
are extracts from the 2014 Acheru annual report: |
| Message
from Samuel Mutumba, Africare Field Director: We have
been able to bring a smile to thousands of children with
disabilities. Many have come to know what we do through the
testimonies of those we have treated before in communities,
leaflets, posters, brochures, TV broadcasts and power point
presentations. |
| All these
achievements have been possible because of our dedicated staff
at Minakulu and Kabembe; we appreciate their commitment and
dedication. |
| Above all I
thank our dear donor Africare Northern Ireland. Without their
physical, spiritual and financial support many children with
disabilities would still live miserable lives. We appreciate all
our Partners; CoRSU, Katalemwa, Oyam District, Kibaale Community
Centre, to mention but a few. |
| Acheru
remains dedicated to giving quality services to children,
bringing transformation and hope, making them resourceful and
active members of their families and communities. |
| Message
from Joyce Kayaga Kalinda, Acheru Administrator: Our
heart as a project is to reach out to disabled children
(discriminated, stigmatized and lost hope) for a bright future.
We rehabilitate and equip them to fully participate in the
community. |
| 2014 was a
good year with fruits of unity among the staff and partners. We
appreciate and thank every individual for the support given. |
| I
appreciate everyone who participated in making this dream come
true. We are pleased to share with you our annual report for
2014. |
| May the
Almighty God bless you. |
| Surgery and
Rehabilitation: Surgery is the last resort of correcting a
problem. Some problems can be corrected by conservative methods.
Conditions like club feet can be corrected by manipulation and
casting. However, in cases of neglected club feet, post
injection paralysis, chronic osteomyelitis, severe genu
varum/valgum, Blount’s disease, kelloids, cleft lip/palate,
amongst others, surgery is inevitable. |
| During 2014,
many children underwent orthopaedic and plastic surgery,
followed by rehabilitation services including physiotherapy,
nursing care and psychosocial support. |
| In total 225
orthopaedic and plastic surgeries were performed. |
| Example:
Opio Sam is a 17 year old boy from northern Uganda,
identified through an outreach clinic. He had a right maxillary
tumour progressively increasing in size. He was taken to several
hospitals, with no improvement. |
| His father
narrates: “It started as a swelling in 2012 and I took
him to hospital for medication but nothing was done. The
swelling started increasing in size but I had no money to seek
further medical care. The community started saying it was
witchcraft. I was so worried about my son. He stopped school
because children could laugh at him. Community members could
also laugh at him. This made him uncomfortable and life became a
burden to him. There was no happiness. I had no idea of how to
help him. However, after some time I was directed to Acheru
through which surgeries were done on him and he became better.” |
 |
| Reviews:
For effective service delivery, reviews were conducted at
clinics throughout 2014. These were to assess and examine new
patients and follow up on old clients especially those who had
surgery. The purpose of reviewing old clients was to know the
progress of different children and plan accordingly and also to
avoid relapse. In total 723 reviews were conducted. |
| Nursing:
Care continued through 2014. It involved daily wound care for
children who had undergone surgery, plus wound dressing,
dispensing of drugs and treatment of simple medical cases. 2014
was a good year, with numbers increasing in the wards and
dressings room. 4679 sessions of nursing care were conducted. |
| Physiotherapy:
This is a key component in the rehabilitation of disabled
children. It involves rehabilitation of persons with physical
and mental handicaps. It gives hope to many who were hopeless.
It requires a dedicated physiotherapist to assess, examine, plan
and implement the treatment, with some conditions have a long
duration. |
| Before the
commencement of ‘hands on’ treatment, the therapist
has to ensure that the child or parent understands the child’s
condition. The therapist ensures that the parent/care
giver/child develops a positive attitude and is active in the
rehabilitation process. Testimonies of those who have become
well after the physiotherapy sessions give hope to others and
are a key component towards positive attitude development. |
| Throughout
2014, 1830 physiotherapy sessions were provided to disabled
children at the centre and in the community. It’s sometimes
hard to make parents believe that physiotherapy will really
improve a child’s life, and they often try to leave, with
considerable effort needed to ensure they accept the treatment
and become involved. Very significant changes and improvement
are seen where none were expected. |
| Orthopaedic
services: These continued throughout 2014, with 1898
sessions such as manipulation and casting conducted. |
| Psycho-social
support: Many parents brought in their children with a lot
of worries. Some had previously sought medical intervention but
failed to see any progress. Others were unable to pay for
treatment to continue. Some had ended up in shrines getting ‘treatment’
from witch doctors. Some had negative attitudes towards
disability and the rehabilitation process. Throughout 2014,
psycho-social support was provided to caregivers and children,
ensuring their needs and concerns were met. There were group
discussions and one to one meetings addressing issues of stigma,
depression, anxiety, isolation, social exclusion and other
emotional challenges. 10142 sessions were conducted. |
| Community
based rehabilitation (CBR): Many disabled children were
reached in remote areas. With this approach, Acheru services
were taken closer to our beneficiaries. The programme involved
the Acheru CBR team, local leaders, volunteers, caregivers and
the disabled children. |
| Outreach
clinics were organized in central and northern parts of the
country. Through the community leaders and the co-ordinators,
the parents of disabled children would be asked to gather at a
health centre to be assessed by a therapeutic team from Acheru.
The work of Acheru would be described and elaborated to parents
and children, and appropriate treatment planned for each child. |
| Home based care
was conducted to follow up children who had received therapy
from Acheru. A member of the CBR team would visit the child’s
home to assess the child’s condition, and the usage of any
available appliances. Some caregivers stop bringing their
children to Acheru before treatment is completed, some because
they can’t afford transport, some simply ‘give up’
on the children, and some are influenced by local traditional
healers who don’t want medical intervention. Counselling is
given to the care givers, and they are helped or encouraged to
continue with the rehabilitation process. 505 children were
supported with this programme. |
| Estates:
A new gate was installed, and improvements made to the chain
link fence. The site is ‘open’ and the community can
see what we do, but children and animals still have to be kept
in or out as appropriate. 600 trees were planted along the
boundary. A new kitchen was built with improved cooking stoves
to reduce fuel use, and the old kitchen used to make an improved
physiotherapy department. |
| Education:
The number of children attending the ‘catch up’ class
increased. This helps children who miss school while undergoing
possibly lengthy rehabilitation. Subjects include mathematics,
science, social studies, English, religious education, fine art,
music, dance and drama. 101 children were registered. Acheru’s
teacher Juliet received help from a number of volunteers. |
| Classes had
previously been held in the open sided recreation area, but in
2014 moved inside to a better equipped classroom. Parents
appreciated the work done, which enabled children to quickly
catch up in school, and it’s pleasing to see children go on
to do well. |
| The Christian
ethos of the work was maintained through a programme of regular
devotions, Bible stories, studies and worship, conducted by
Acheru staff, volunteers, and local church leaders. |
| Finance:
The exchange rate is approx 4,000 Uganda shillings for £1.00
sterling. Of the total annual running costs of £100,000 98%
came from Africare, 1% from families of patients, 1% from other
sources in Uganda. |
| Item |
Amount/shillings |
| Cleaning
Materials |
1,324,000 |
| Appliances
from workshops |
830,000 |
| Medicines and
Drugs |
19,927,511 |
| Utility Bills
|
10,692,727 |
| Beddings |
801,917 |
| Stationary |
2,222,600 |
| Transport
Services |
70,742,800 |
| Food Items |
41,968,700 |
| Staff Uniform |
152,000 |
| Vehicle
Repairs & Maintenance |
6,349,400 |
| Administrative
Costs |
8,998,790 |
| Hospital Bills |
50,751,810 |
| Other Office
Repairs |
2,733,000 |
| Communication |
2,078,000 |
| Staff welfare |
29,422,880 |
| Staff/patients'
support |
9,332,500 |
| Mombasa trip
|
3,450,000 |
| Construction
Expenses |
29,149,200 |
| Community Work
Expenses |
7,502,500 |
| Gulu Outreach
Expenses |
11,498,000 |
| Salaries and
Wages |
80,710,700 |
| Total
Expenditure |
390,639,035 |
|
| Acheru is
seeking to develop partnerships in Uganda. So far this has
resulted in ventures like shared community work and valuable
local cooperation, but now that Acheru is a registered NGO in
Uganda, it is hoped there may also be the possibility of
applying for financial help from other agencies. For now,
however, you will realise how heavily it all depends on
Africare. Therefore your continued support is highly
appreciated, not least financially but also prayerfully. |
| The Africare
board. |
