Jean heard all about a CRU ‘Discover Uganda’ visit from her friend Lynette Marshall, who had recently returned from Uganda. Jean was deeply moved on hearing Lynette describe how many HIV positive mothers had nothing in which to dress their new-born babies, and she wanted to help.  Lynette, who visited the Maternity ward in a Jinja hospital, told of the overwhelming joy of one woman to whom she had given a shawl for her baby, and how so many mothers had absolutely nothing to dress their babies in, in those first few hours after birth.

“I am a knitter” says Jean, “ but I knew I couldn’t produce many items before the next CRU visit went out to Uganda and so I placed a poster in the wool shop, ‘Knitwits,’ in our main street here in Plympton. I also mentioned it to friends, work colleagues, the ladies group in my Church, and posted it on Facebook.
Ladies at ‘Bodyshapers Studio’  (exercise toning tables for ladies of a certain age!) gave most generously and recruited other groups to knit.

Then it started! It seemed my phone never stop ringing and my husband would regularly shout “Jean it’s one of your knitters!”

The people at the ‘Knitwits’ shop offered to serve as a ‘pick up point’ for anyone who wanted to leave items with them.
People bought wool in the shop and left it as a donation for knitters.
Staff at a school began ‘chatting patterns’ in the staff room.
A parcel of 6 matinee coats arrived from Kent from a Facebook friend
Other groups got involved and offers came pouring in. Non- knitters gave donations or bought new baby clothes. Knitting was just what a recently widowed lady needed to help her through the dark winter months.

Results were amazing! Jean had hoped for about 50 items, but instead was overwhelmed. Over 300 matinee coats and 6 bags of bootees, mittens, blankets and hats are the harvest.
“ We were totally overwhelmed by the loving kindness and generosity of so many people with more offers still coming in. I have had to call a halt for the time being until the present stock is taken out to Uganda.”

Uganda visitor, Lynette with donated items

Plympton knitters amazing response to need

March 12th 2011

Denise entertains the crowd

Denise and friend at Maria's Care

That's a hard question!

Going to uganda was a real pleasure, but also quite humbling. I got a huge amount out of it and going out with my son Ross was fantastic, it was great to spend time together doing somthing so worth while, it has given us lots to talk about, his friends also were very impressed with what we had being doing, and wanted to know all the detail.
The people there were so kind we have made some real friends and would go back again definitely, and are keeping in touch via face book in the mean time.

Large class at Township School

There were over 90 children in most of the classes. We then visited another school where we have 9 pupils, including Patrick and David who are twins. After talking to teachers from local schools all over the area we drove to the twin’s home and were very sad to hear about their situation. Although they live in a brick home with another brother, they only have an old Great Grandmother living with them who they care for.

Twins Patrick and David with their Great Gran

This is where Jane used to live with her children

Rhona wanted her October ‘09 visitors to have the experience of building a mud hut so the local authorities were contacted to see if there was anyone in need. The LC, local council official, thought of Jane and said that we, CRU were going to pay for a mud hut to be made then they, the council, would GIVE her a piece of land to build it on. We were thrilled! Rhona asked that local people should start to construct the mud hut so when the visitors arrived in Uganda they could help to finish the mud hut and see it finished.

Jane and her children outside their half built new house

We also wanted to buy goods for her home and make sure she had a good start. Maria’s Care manager, Jackie Oba,  suggested the visitors gave Jane a sack of charcoal so she could start a little business by selling small amounts of the charcoal. Jackie said she would show Jane how to save money to buy more charcoal and have a small profit to feed her family and send them to school. Rhona said, “We had been given a chicken by one of the Grandmothers but decided one chicken wouldn’t go around the nine of us, so we gave Jane the chicken and two goats to really get her started.”

jane and volunteers with all the donated goods outside her new home

The goods for Jane’s home and the goats were all paid for by the team who built her hut and donations they had brought with them. The group had a wonderful time mingling the mud with their bare feet. They sang and laughed, the local Ugandan’s looked on with wide eyes as the group thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

What an amazing trip! We have done so much in 3 weeks, we have visited schools, taught an English lesson, painted a mural, walked a mountain, visited hospitals, made clay pots, seen beautiful rapids and built a mud hut. Nothing will ever beat this trip. Definitely a life changing experience.

25th Feb 2006 after 2 weeks at Marias Care:
” I knew no one, and did not know where I was going nor what I was going to do! but what I did know was that God had asked me to go, as it got nearer the more apprehensive I became, I sat at the airport and cried, I had left husband and 5 children what was I doing! talk about ‘comfort zones!’ ….THANK GOD I WENT… every day was a new adventure, I met wonderful people in visitors and locals, I was moved to tears and laughed more than I had in years! I gave and I was given, in love, companionship, fun, extremes, beauty and the whole experience was priceless, never again do I want to doubt Gods word…if he prompts you to go, He will confirm, THEN GO! you will not regret it!”

A large group of volunteers went out for the KPPS 10th Anniversary

From earlier visitors:
“To briefly describe the experience of three weeks in Kamuli is not an easy task, but here are a few of my initial thoughts.
The outstanding natural beauty of the area, the unexpected lush vegetation, red dust tracks and blue skies; the mud huts, village children dressed in dirty rags possessing nothing to their name, young women widowed by AIDS and left with at least four children. The beauty and humility, gentleness and innocence of the Ugandan people – how we can learn so much from them. The lovely little deaf boys we played with; the great difference that life at Maria’s Care can make to a child compared to life in the villages – education, food and care; the friendliness and gracious attitude of everyone we met. I feel truly privileged to have been able to experience all that I have – I don’t think I will be the same again.”

“I had no idea that people live at that basic level”

“If only we could grasp at home how to appreciate Education. We take this for granted so much and these people go without food so that they have the money to go to school.”

“We visited many projects and gave sheets and blankets to the very needy. One family, a widow with 3 children, only had the bark cloth to cover them as they slept on the floor in their mud hut at night.”

Rhona stayed on after the group returned home to facilitate another group from Australia who were planning a visit to train “trainers” in evangelism.
February
Barbara took out a dental therapist, Simone. Together they checked over all the Maria’s Care children for dental problems. Audrey Bomford started the task of reviewing educational facilities and working with the staff at KPPS to improve the school.

10th anniversary of KPPS

Visitor Robert writes, “Initially this trip started for me as a holiday. It has turned into so much more, more than I could ever have imagined. My ” holiday” started with the best welcome I have ever received, seeing those children’s faces, something clicked, there and then. This was not going to go to MY game plan! From there each experience has been better than the last, from the simple, but fulfilling task of helping Steven the resident carpenter put up mosquito nets over the children’s beds, to the children in the deaf unit frantically showing us which bed they slept in (my personal favourite experience) and the climactic 10th Anniversay party and march.”

In June Rhona went out to facilitate a group from Australia lead by David Young of ‘Children For Christ’.Along with Ugandan helpers, the team spent 3 exhausting but exhilerating weeks running holiday clubs. David Young has a great gift working with children.

A party of mainly teachers and students went out to stay at Maria’s Care in the summer holidays and in July and August a team of dental Professionals were the answer to Barbara Koffman’s prayers as they volunteered their services. They held 8 clinics in different areas, treating 430 people.

Their trip report starts:
“On Thursday 21 July we jetted off from Manchester to Uganda, with a brief stop in Dubai. We had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. We thought it would be three weeks of no food, no showers and sweltering hot weather. However, when we arrived the first day quickly changed any expectations we had.”  Click the link to read on … Sally Tanya Summer05