DECEMBER 2011
World AIDS Day
ChangeALife Uganda observed World AIDS Day on Dec 1, by participating in an employee awareness program at the Vaccine Division of Merck & Co. Karen Hinckley and Jean Semler, retired Merck employees, shared with employees John Kanaras, Kristie Faust and Rodney Holcomb, members of Merck's HIV marketing team, the challenges our parents encounter in trying to access treatment for HIV in Migyera and Nabbingo, Uganda. ChangeALife Uganda has already witnessed the death of three infected parents. Without treatment, more of our children will become orphans. To prevent this, ChangeALife Uganda initiated a small support program in 2010 to help parents access care. A $500 donation annually covers medication, testing, transportation to clinic appointments and nutrition. We currently have 16 parents participating in our program. We are in need of support to continue providing health care services to these parents and, importantly, to expand the program to others. The need is great: there are 1.2 million orphans in Uganda resulting from the AIDS epidemic. Our goal is to support the health of our parents and children by providing quality HIV care.
Matheny Medical and Education Center
enjoys African Day fundraiser
The Matheny Medical and Education Center in Peapack, NJ, our new partner in providing resources to the disabled in Uganda, enjoyed African Day at their center. Free lunch was offered to staff across all 3 shifts and it was asked that the $2.00 lunch fee be donated to ChangeALife Uganda. So far, $461.15 has been raised which is a wonderful result from folks who earn a modest salary. As part of the festivities, the kitchen staff prepared a delicious African inspired meal. Staff of African decent dressed in their native costumes. which raised awareness. Some of the countries represented were Zimbabwe, Eithopia, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Ghana. It was very heartwarming to see the enthusiasm of the staff and an enjoyable day was had by all.
Tuition For Tots-To-Teens
Johnson & Johnson's giving spirit reaches across the globe Johnelle Whipple, a sponsor, heads up J&J Baby Marketing team. The team sponsors 6 CALU children and sent each one of them a package. As part of the sponsorship, the packages included letters written by team members, an outfit for each child, school supplies, games, and even postcards and maps of New Jersey, so the children can learn more about geography around the world and where the team is from.
Namutosi Ritahin her new purple dress, surrounded by package sent from the J&J team
New Microscope Aids Malaria Testing
Microscopic examination of a patient's blood is the definitive test for malaria. During our July visit to Uganda, Timothy Okello, clinical officer at the Nabbingo Health Center, noted that this vital testing frequently was interrupted because electrical outages disabled the center's microscope, delaying diagnosis and patient treatment. Susan Peacock, RN, nurse at Old Mill School in Wall, New Jersey learned of this major problem and provided a solution. She donated a manual microscope owned by her late husband, Dr. Jay Peacock. This fine instrument can be used independently of interrupted power supplies. The staff and patients of the Nabbingo Health Center are very grateful for this life-saving gift.
Rumson Second Graders exceed expectations
The Second Graders of the Rumson Country Day School are the latest students at the school to support the mission of ChangeALife Uganda. Teachers Mrs. Figarola, Mrs. Amann and Ms. Valerio hosted a special assembly for the students and their parents to learn about ChangeALife Uganda projects in education, health care and micro-finance. They were most interested in the urgent effort to complete construction of a health clinic within walking distance to the St. Lawrence School in Mygera. Once equipped and staffed, the health clinic will provide needed health services to the students and their families. This will be the only health clinic in the region. The RCDS students and families set a goal of raising $400 and they have been so successful they have donated to-date, $1,400. One parent commented: "This is such a great cause and I am so pleased to know exactly where our donation will be going and to what." Ms. Valerio has been an avid supporter of ChangeALife Uganda - she joined the CALU Team visiting Mygera in 2009. The charity expects to have the clinic open its doors in January 2012.
The children have ended their school year and send warm thanks to their sponsors wishing each "Sekukkulu Ennungi" - Happy Christmas in Luganda.
Artwork by Nakjoba Enid who is sponsored by Nancy and Wayne Shellock.
No comments:
Post a Comment