Christmas dinner

Christmas Dinner-December 24^th

The estimate is the 280 children attended the Christmas Dinner. They had a Christmas Service filled with stories and prayer. They shared a cake  had soda and a meal of rice, meat, dried fish, matoke  and g-nut(ground nut or peanut) sauce.

2013 year in review

2013 has been a year of incredible joy and deep sorrow.

We met and exceeded most of our goals for this year. 

Medical Care

The year  started with great sadness Pastor Deo's  11 year old son died of malaria. It infected his brain before they could afford to have him treated.  In Uganda you must pay for treatment or they will not treat you. 

With this heavy on my heart and filling my daily prayers; God  answered providing another blessing and connection.  Show Mercy opened a medical center not too far from the school. All of our children and their families can go to Show Mercy and be treated at no cost to them, they send the bill to me. 

All children are de wormed every semester.  We provided treatment for jiggers (insects living in their feet)  To help prevent jiggers, we provided every child with a pair of shoes.  

The result is the children are healthier.  In 2008 these children did not own a ball, this year they won the district tournament. I could visibly see the difference during my visit their stomachs were not as swollen and their skin had a healthier glow.  

This connection was scary for me, how was I going to pay the bill when it comes in.   Since we started there was only one month that I had not raise enough funds when the bill came in.  So I prayed for 3 days, on the third day I sent one email.  In the email I asked for assistance paying the bill. The immediate response, they were going to pay the entire bill.

Another situation that brought me deep sadness a young child in the 1^st  grade was consistently sick.  The nurse at Show Mercy suggested that the child be tested for HIV.  The mom did not want to have her tested, she did not want to know.  We assured her that we would provide for her and care for her. The entire family was tested.  The mom and the young daughter are both HIV positive.  We are providing monthly food and transportation to the medical clinic where they receive their treatment.    Two other families have been identified as being HIV positive .  We are providing the same care.

To help prevent malaria we provided every child with a mosquito net

We also provided every child with a pair of shoes  to help prevent jiggers.

Piggery

We started the year  purchasing a going out of business piggery.  This included 48 pigs many were pregnant. We gave them to families that were prepared to care for them.  The condition was that they must give 4 from the first litter to 4 other families. The gift that keeps on giving.  This gift has been a blessing to so many families.  During our visit we saw and learned more about taking care of pigs than I ever imagined.  The 192 families have been  blessed by the gift.

In the past we had purchased some families goats .  When Cathy’s Grandfather heard we were in the village and looked  for us until he found us. He wanted  to let us know how grateful he was and thank us for the gift of a goat.  They now have 4 goats which are providing milk and income for the family. 

The Visit

When we visited every child received a gift,  a back pack with pens, pencils, pencil  sharpener eraser and other trinkets.

Another note area of sadness 2 young girls were sold into prostitution. During our visit we were able to rescue one, but later learned she is pregnant.   We are praying over how best to handle this situation. Winnie we are still trying to find.   This is heartbreaking.  We have rescued several girls over the years and the pattern is they are sold between Christmas and February.  I am planning on going in February this year to try and prevent this from happening.  Donations would be greatly appreciated to help support my  trip.  Cost $3,000.00 most of that is air fare.

School Changes

Working towards being a Government recognized school.  Every classroom has benches / chairs and the teachers all have desks with cabinets.  We hire a second cook and purchased very large pots.  We also hire 3 new teachers that are certified.  2014 we are hiring 3 more  qualified teachers and creating a new position for Esther.  Her new role will be overseeing all the children for health care and following up if they are not attending school. 

An end of year very generous donation was made to build a bore hole at the school.  This project should be completed by the end of 2013 early 2014.

The school year is ending with many celebrations for the children

1. Speech Day on December 6th, the children sing dance and perform for their parents and receive their report cards to find out if they are promoted.
2. The school field trip on December 13th 
3. Christmas Eve Dinner on December 24th.

I will be posting 2014 goals after spending time in prayer!

Loving a Village One Child at a Time!

Love,

Mom Sandy Gwoyagala  (my Ugandan name)

The story of the well at the Christian Mission Academy.

God's plan is perfect and he places people in the right place at the right time. 

  I am a member of Zontas, Women for advancing Women around the world.  The end of October I attended the convention in Bedford.  It was an amazing weekend.  Zontas women are doing amazing things locally and around the world!

One evening at dinner there was a gentleman at our table.   I was talking about this project,and through divine intervention he was seated at my table.  Five days before we met, his mom told him she wanted him to help her find a way to build a well in a third world country without a lot of administration fees.  

You will all see the rest of the story unfold.  

Show Mercy at work at the Christian Mission Acadamy!

Thumbs up for deworming!

Posted on November 22, 2013

This morning Kristy and I headed out to Bakka. I called up one of my trusted boda drivers, Hamsa. He came to pick us up and drive us to Christian Friends Academy. I love the boda ride to Bakka. Fresh air blows through my hair as I look up to see a beautiful view of eucalyptus forests amongst the hills and valleys. Fresh rain last night ensured it was lush and green! Villagers are out and about as we cruise by. We wave and respond to the chanting “Bye Mzungu!” (white person) with a Lugandan greeting “Muli Mutya!?” (Hi, how are you!?).

As we pull up to the school the teachers have already arranged the students in lines by class. The children here are getting to know us as we come every three months to deworm them and many of them have visited our clinic as well.
Today we were there for the deworming program. A majority of the population in third world countries is effected by intestinal worms. They get into the intestine through the mouth from uncooked or unwashed food, contaminated water or hands or by skin contact with infected soil. Parasitic worms can consume as much as 20% of what an infected child ingests!
The treatment is simple! One chewable tablet of a drug called Albendazole. This can be taken every three months to treat this specific intestinal worm.
Today there were 301 students at school. They all got dewormed!


We are so grateful for our partnership with Sandra Gannon and Trinity Covenant Church. This partnership enables use to provide health care to all students and their immediate families! What a blessing!

CMA November 2013

The end of the school year is fast approaching the children are taking there exams this week, plus being dewormed.  Next week they will be writing letters to their sponsors and creating crafts, baskets, mats, chairs and more. I asked for them to send pictures. I plan on purchasing some of their crafts to sell!

Their end of year field trip will be on the 13th of December. Please pray for good weather safe travels and peace for the chaperones.   Thank you to everyone that made this happen!

The children will be visiting

v     Coca cola,

v     Shumuk group of

v     Mukwano group of companies 

v     A polythene (plastic) bag recycling company.

The  Christmas eve the children will have their Christmas meal~ the cost is $1200.00 $3.00 per meal.  The meal consists of meat – rice – sauce- cake  and the special gift they all look forward to a soda.  Many children will save their soda or some of their soda to bring home to share with their family. While we have not raised all of the funds yet I am praying we will. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Show Mercy  Medical Center Treated 70 children and family members for a wide variety of illnesses, abbesses, infections,  Chicken Pox and Measles  plus 41 malaria cases.   We will investigate vaccinating all of the children.  The  monthly bill $419.00.

They will all be dewormed in the next week or so before they leave for their holiday.(digging on the land)

89 children sponsored ! The children now receive a meal of rice every Friday.  When 114 children are sponsored we will be able to  improve the quality of their meals.  

I am forwarding the information for 15 children that need sponsors.  Please pass them on.

It would be an answer to a child’s prayer to know that someone  in the US cares about them!

love,  mom sandy  gwoyagala  (my Ugandan name)

SandysUgandaAdventure.blogspot.com

Face book  Sandra Gannon

Twitter @Gannon_sandra

In the News

            This article is in the Lexington Minuteman today.               

          Human Trafficking Victim Recovered by Trinity Covenant Members

A 14-year-old Ugandan girl named Rachel was rescued from forced prostitution and slavery through the efforts of Sandy Gannon, a member of Trinity Covenant Church in Lexington, during a recent trip Gannon made to Uganda.  Gannon was visiting the homes of children who attend a school in Bakka, and while at Rachel’s home, Rachel’s father received a phone call from her.  Gannon was able to convince the father to ask for Rachel’s return.  A day later, Rachel returned to her home. 

The definitions of “family” and of “orphan” differ greatly between the United States and Uganda, Gannon said.  In Uganda, an “uncle” may be any man who plays a role in a child’s life.  One of Rachel’s “uncles” had sold her for $25 to someone in the sex trade.  Rachel’s father saw this as a way to reduce the number of mouths to feed.

Gannon and Trinity’s Pastor, Christopher Haydon, and Todd Klipp, another Trinity member who traveled to Uganda in late September, decided that no money should exchange hands to reclaim Rachel, because doing so might encourage more children to be sold.  Instead, they offered to provide food for the family each month.  Gannon also reminded the family that Rachel would be able to help support her family for many years in the future if she got an education.  She also told them that free medical care is provided for the students and families that they live with, at a nearby medical clinic run by Show Mercy. 

In Uganda, families may agree to take an orphaned child, but there is no government money to help care for the child and no oversight of the home. Children that we regard as orphans are often given to families in the village, who may use them as servants or even sell them.  The prevalence of AIDS and extreme poverty has left many children with no loving families, Gannon related. 

Many children are taken in to be put to work or to be sold.  Rachel is one of the 90 children currently being sponsored by Trinity members and others in a program set up by Gannon.  A child can be sponsored for $25 a month.  A sponsorship gives the child a mosquito net, shoes, school fees and supplies, and a meal at school every day.  “Sponsored children have the added benefit of the oversight by The Christian Mission Sponsorship Program to keep them safe,” said Gannon.

Another sponsored girl, 14-year-old Winnie, is still missing, but Gannon is working with people from the Kampala church who run the school to try to locate her and bring her back.  A third 14-year-old girl, Miracle, who ran away several times to avoid being forced to marry, was brought back to her grandmother’s home through Gannon’s efforts.  Food and medical care were promised to the grandmother if she would keep the girl at home and in school. 

Anyone interested in sponsoring a child or making a donation to help prevent children being sold into slavery may contact Gannon at:  s-gannon@hotmail.com  or visit her blog sandysugandaadventure.blogspot.com

By Nancy E. Leskiw

Loving a Village One Child at a Time

A question I was asked not too long ago.  "Sandy is there going to be an end to the need at Bakka?   It is a bottomless pit with no end in site."
While the need in Bakka is overwhelming and very disturbing to witness.   We have made a change and we are providing hope. The families and children may be in a bottomless pit but when they look up now they see light.
We started working in Bakka in 2008.  No  Child had ever graduated from the school,  there were no children in the 7th grade.  The older children's eye's were dead, they had no hope, they did not even know how to dream.   In 2010 we had our first 3 students graduate from CMA. They now going in to the 11th grade.   We have a total of 15 children in secondary school.  This year our graduating class has 22 student in it.   Last week they were transported to another school to take an entrance exam.  A requirement  to determine if they would be qualified to go to middle school.

When I visited our secondary students this year they gave me this letter .

To Mummy Sandy

Letter of Appreciation

Dear Sandy, I greet you in the name of the almighty God and how is your Life? We are okay with our studies at school.

We humbly appreciate you for all things you do for us and we are very happy with you dear our mummy. Most especially in paying school fees and other school requirements like recam.  Definately  we all look a vibrant life because of what you have done for us.

To be precise, we are very glad to that and we are having nothing to do except excelling well in academics

May God bless you,

From your children

at Mwebeza High

It is my hearts desire to give every child the hope  and dreams of continuing their education after the Christian Mission Academy.   It takes a Village to Love a Village.   When the children start school in February every child will need a uniform and school supplies.  $100.00  each $2,200.00 

As always 100% of your donation goes support the children and their families.