| April 2026 report: Luweero Community Health Camp |
| The following is from a report I have received from our Orthopaedic Officer Dennis. |
| The camp was organized by a charitable organization chaired by the king of Buganda Kingdom, dedicated to providing healthcare to different regions of the kingdom. The Acheru health team was invited to provide rehabilitation services to children with disabilities. |
| The objectives for the Acheru team were to: |
| - Provide medical consultations and treatment. |
| - Screen for mental and physical disabilities amongst children. |
| - Provide sensitization and awareness of the common birth defects that can be treated. |
| - Identify patients requiring referral to health facilities. |
| Total attendance was 512. There was a high turnout exceeding what had been expected but a disappointingly small number of disabled children were brought although those attending talked of disabled children in their villages. This illustrates the problem we still face with disabled children being hidden away. Either they are not perceived as having any value so are not worth bringing for treatment, or they are not seen as having any potential for improvement. |
| There were serious time constraints due to the number of patients, but it is hoped that promotion of Acheru and what we can do will encourage those attending to tell others in their villages. It is distressing to keep on encountering children who may have spent many years suffering with a disability or injury which we could have dealt with, dramatically improving their quality of life. |
| Dennis writes that the outreach successfully provided essential healthcare services to members of the community, increased awareness of mental and physical disabilities and how proper management can help a child to lead a decent life. It increased confidence in parents to seek professional help from health workers. |
| The pictures below show Joyce speaking to relatives, and a child having plaster applied to a club foot as part of his ongoing treatment. |
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| Jasmine is a 5-year-old girl cerebral palsy who has been attending physiotherapy services from 2022. She had contractures in the knee joints, was unable to turn, had poor neck control and could not sit. After 3 years attending physiotherapy, she is able to sit in her special chair and has acquired leg supports. This has changed her state from being completely immobile and unhappy to a moderately dependent child who can now interact with other children instead of being isolated. |
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| Charity run. The pictures are from the recent successful Acheru charity fund raising run. A total of 133 Acheru patients took part in a number of separate groups. |
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| Work continues on improvements to our Acheru buildings, and the pictures show our cook, Sarah, in the revised kitchen. |
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