An old hand-operated wheelchair he was given eventually gave up!   But now through supporters help, it has been possible to get an electric wheelchair.

Godfrey's electric wheelchair en route

Thanks go to airline KLM for getting the chair through for us, and especially to ‘Helpful Hands’ in Macclesfield and travel agents ‘Opodo’s Customer Service team.
The chair went out in July with visitors to Mara’s Care and Godfrey was delighted!

Godfrey shares the moment in his new wheelchair with his friends.

New Headteacher Mr. Ssembatya Moses and his staff have taken a great step forward in education with exciting results at K.P.P.S. (Kamuli Parents Primary School) at Maria’s Care. Since January 2010 the Unit for the Deaf and hearing impaired pupils has grown to 75 and now includes all Primary classes P1 through to P7. Finding staff to sign and specialise in Maths, Science, and English for the older classes is very difficult in Uganda. So integration in learning has proved the answer to improve standards for the deaf, who have to sit the same exams as the hearing children. Signing for deaf children is now part of joint classes for pupils of P6 and P7. There is an added benefit to hearing pupils because they are quickly learning signing too!

Integrated learning in P7 of deaf and hearing children

CRU Trustee Roger Hand spent four days staying at Mara’s Care in March and said,’ My overriding impression whilst there was the enthusiasm of the deaf children for learning. They enjoy being with the rest of the school, sharing lessons and excelling in music, drama and sports.’

crack in staff house wall

A big thank you to UK Primary Schools who are raising funds for CRU and learning about Uganda at the same time. Amongst them are St. Mary’s C.E.Primary in Droylsden, Thameside and Adlington Primary School, Cheshire. Trustee and education co-ordinator Audrey Bomford has visited both schools recently and says, ‘The enthusiasm of children, staff and parents to commit themselves to ongoing support for CRU has been terrific. I have been in to all classes to teach about our work at Mara’s Care and thank them for their ideas and efforts during the last two terms. The children show a growing understanding and care for those who live in poverty and destitution in Africa and the ideas for raising money have ranged from sponsored teeth cleaning to making and selling cakes. They have helped CRU pay for the new library and new classroom furniture for the deaf children.’

New classroom furniture

” I am Patricia, a Ugandan Citizen,  persecuted but still a born again and aged 22 years now. I was born in a family with a Muslim background.  But my mum never got married to my dad. They just one time loved each other and so I was conceived and produced.  Since they were not married, I grew up with my mum alone.  When I approached 9 yrs of age, she got saved and I did.  When I was 15 yrs, my mum died and so I had to go and stay with my dad who was from a Muslim family. The moment he discovered that I was born again, he made all possible ways to stop me from continuing. I loved Christ so much that I could not accept leaving Him. One day, after being caned seriously, he told me that if I could not accept his command of  leaving Salvation, I had to leave his home. He therefore, sent me away from his home and I went to stay with one of the church elders. But what I remember, before I left home, he made me sit down and spoke to me words like; “I am no longer your father, my children are never your brothers and sisters and my wife is no longer your step mother.  You will have to suffer for the rest of your life, …….” he followed this with an act of putting off his shirt to show that he had put off any kind of responsibility he would have rendered to me as his child. But though he spoke this to threaten me and make me submit to his command, I had already made up my minds to follow Christ.

Life wasn’t easy as I started staying in the new home, but I had to withstand.  By this time I was just a week old at Maria’s Care doing my secretarial training. I therefore, struggled with life to see that I make my education successful, because my dad had promised never to pay my school fees again. But I very much thank God because by the time I was so much troubled and wondering about what to do, I came across a God’s Caring woman named Rhona Marshall, with whom I sat and explained my problems.With a lot of love she encouraged me, and gave me wonderful presents which became part of my success. I always remember the wonderful yellow paper which had the four reasons why I had to smile (truly whenever I read this paper, from no where I got peace in my heart and found myself smiling) and the small doll which whenever I held it and put it in my chest, I felt like Christ was always around me, caring and feeling my pain.

When I went on living in the new home, there came another elder who made a plan that I had to go back to my dad’s home and yet going back meant submission to my dad’s orders hence leaving salvation. When he told me to go back, I resisted and so he told the elder who was keeping me to chase me away from her home. I felt a lot of pain and life became so hard for me. I regretted why my mum had died, but I very much thank God because He never abandoned me. In that way, I was again chased from that home and I went to live with my uncle who was a staunch Muslim. After I had lived with my uncle for three weeks, my dad sent him to me to come and tell me that only if I could leave salvation, the door was very much open for me to go back home. As my uncle told me those words, he pressurized me and as I tried to resist, he seriously abused me and he also wanted to send me away from his home.  I therefore, out of a lot of pressure, told him that I would leave salvation and go back home.  But immediately after I had spoken such a word, I heard three consecutive voices speaking that ” Whoever denies me before people, I will do the same before my father in heaven.”, “Fear Him who has the power to destroy both the spirit and the body but not the body alone. Many gave up because they feared men’s approval and being chased away from their company but missed eternal life”  ” When a person wants to build a house, he has to first sit down and calculate whether he has enough materials for full construction, But if he builds up to the middle and runs out of resources, passers – by laugh at his defeat.” After these voices, uncontrollable tears began to flow out of my eyes. I then realised that the Lord was talking to me. I immediately changed my minds and I, alone said, what come may, I will never leave salvation.

By this time all the church members had abandoned me from the Pastors to the youngest, except one girl who the Lord had told me in a dream that she alone would stand with me, and were all pleading with me to escape the suffering by abandoning Christ up to the time when I would be out of my father’s home. But although all of them left me, the Lord remained faithful and He never abandoned me, and He made only His word and the other girl’s word sound true in my ears and other words sounded lies.

I continued going to school. And now time came when they began sending me for school fees. Sincerely I never felt like explaining my problem to the principal because he wasn’t saved and even I was tired of people’s poor advice. So whenever I was sent back home for fees, I only went to stay at the nearby church and inform my heavenly father about my problem.
One day, there was a Pastor who heard about what I was going through and felt like he was touched. He sent people to tell me to go for school fees and I went. On reaching his home, the bad spirit that had surrounded my fellow church members fell upon him too.  He therefore told me that he had used the money and advised me that if my dad was ready to give me school fees after leaving salvation, I had to do so, so that I would get school fees. With this I felt so much annoyed and hopeless, and my final decision was that I just had to end my education and go and live on the streets like any other street child. But the Lord is good at all times because when I reached home, I found my Uncle eagerly waiting for me because my Dad had told him that he wanted to see and talk to his daughter.  I went to my Dad’s home and we sat and talked. If I am to clearly remember my Dad’s words this time, they were,”My daughter, I have seen how much you love your Jesus, I now leave you to serve your God the way you want because it is the Lord who enabled me also to produce you and take care of you up to this age. Come back home any day you feel like please and meet your brothers and sisters. How much money do they demand you at school for fees?” I told him the amount and he gave me not even half but the whole of it to take to school.

Though he had allowed me to go back home. I never rushed I only could pay them a visit. What I remember, for every visit I made, my Dad prepared for me only special things a person can prepare for a special visitor. I greatly thank the power of the Lord because it was not by power or by might that I managed to overcome, but by the grace of the Lord my God. THE GLORY BELONGS TO HIM FOREVER AND EVER! Amen. And I also very much thank my friend Rhona Marshall and my friend Naomi, (the young girl) who stood with me, by encouragement and prayer.  May God bless you so much.”

Fred is one of our Nightwatchmen at Maria’s Care. He’s been with us for seven years, and recently we discovered that he was walking 10 miles each way to work!

Now, thanks to thanks to the generosity of CRU supporters, he has a bike and arrives early!

Simple items (which you can buy through our Alternative Gift List!) can transform people’s lives so easily. Please consider buying an alternative gift for a birthday this year!

Tom in 1997 outside the mud house he originally lived in with his sick grandmother who eventually died.

12 years ago, in 1997  Tom and Richard were being sponsored and looked after at Maria’s Care………….they are still being sponsored. We feel we should see them through the next 2 years. They should have their Hotel Management Qualifications by 2011. They are training for 12 months at the Serena Hotel in Kampala………….a huge difference from a mud hut in a rural village in Kamuli to this fabulous Hotel.

Tom & Richard with Rhona at the Serena Hotel, Kampala 2009

We still need two more sponsors to help with their fees.

Richard sent an email to Rhona:
“Dear Mum Rhona,
It has been such a long time when I last hear from you. How is your leg? Has it yet cured or not yet? We are praying for you.
Actually I am here to thank you so much for seeing through up to where we are. Books are going well and thanks you sincere help and care. We do appreciate it.
However some of our marks were put on the notice board and here they are.

FOOD PRODUCTION………….80%
FRENCH……………………………..80%
F &B  ………………………………….62%
B/COM……………………………….78.5%
BOOK KEEPING…………………60%
HOUSE KEEPING………………76%
COMPUTER……………………….92%
FRONT OFFICE………………….78%
Last but not least let me end by wishing you a merry Christmas and prosperous new year.
Long life and may God bless you. Richard”

Godfrey in Oct 2009

Godfrey is disabled from the waist down. He is a wonderful young man and we have been supporting him along with his two brothers Alex and Robert since they were young. Godfrey is at University doing IT.  Maria Maw has sponsored Godfrey for many years independently from CRU to go on to higher education. The visitors met him on their trip in Oct 2009. He was going to sell his computer to pay for his University Papers so they collected the money he needed so he wouldn’t have to sell his computer. Sadly, many university students can’t afford to get their University Certificates because they just don’t have the money.
Godfrey’s father, Christopher, used to be the Bursar in our primary school KPPS at Maria’s Care. Some of his family died leaving Christopher with many extra children to look after (about 24 all together). Maria Maw took the three young boys in and gave them the boys quarters to live in at the back of her rented home in Kamuli. They looked after themselves, cooking, cleaning and making their own meals each night after school. CRU supported them through school. Sadly, Christopher died a couple of years ago – it really was a very sad blow to all of the family. All three boys have done very well. Alex and Robert went on to study car mechanics.

Robert Okanya in 1997

Robert Okanya sent Rhona an email:
“Dear Ms Rhona,
It is I Robert in Makerere doing Bachelor of veterinary medicine expressing my Gratitude’s and thanks to you and Christian Relief Uganda. I was very happy yesterday 20th October 2009 for your visit and everything you gave us. It was a such a wonderful surprise visit.
I am glad to be amongst the first people to join Maria’s Care and very glad for all I’ve benefited and learnt from there. Thanks allot for the clothes and the pocket money you gave me and May God blesses you abundantly and if it was not because of Christian Relief Uganda, by now I would not be where I am.
Send greetings to all who are giving a hand of help for our well being. We appreciate so much and we too are looking forward to helping others in future.
Glory be to God and may God bless you all.
From Robert Okanya.”

Robert describes how he joined Maria’s care:
It was in 1992 after the death of both of my parents when Ms Maria came to our village with the help of my late brother. She found me sitted at home not schooling and at the same time I was sick that day. I was happy when she promised to take care of me and my younger brother Simon.
When I went
I went to Maria’s care in 1993 and began studies in the same year
How long I took
I spent 11 years in Maria’s care and during my stay while there, I got saved and baptised from Kamuli baptist Church.
What am now doing
Am now doing a bachelors degree in veterinary medicine second year and all that is courtsey of Maria’s Care and thank God for CRU which is assisting Maria’s Care
May God bless you all

Robert in Oct 2009