I bring warm greetings from the little ones and staff of Lulwanda. We value the true friendship that you have shown us and we can’t just take it for granted. We are grateful to all of you and to the Almighty God for this gracious opportunity. The Lord Has used you Mightily to give the Lulwanda Children a second chance to live and also to have a bright future. Once without a home but now they belong to the big family of Lulwanda where they have a strong bond with the Uncles, Aunties and all loving friends across the Globe. Once without food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education and above all spiritual nourishment and counselling, but now they have it by the Grace of God. Praise the Lord! Thank you for accepting to be the Lord’s vessel to bring such good news and hope upon the Lulwanda Children.
Currently we are experiencing the second wave of the covid-19 virus in Uganda. The Medical personnel in hospitals are overwhelmed with the big numbers of patients and the death toll is rising quite high. Some people with mild symptoms have resorted to home care treatment. What we need now is God’s intervention because He’s transcendent and can bring healing upon the entire world.
MEDICAL REPORT
The month of May was a blessing in that it saw the end of our temporary lockdown at LCH, after 5 staff members tested positive, but praise be to God fully recovered. We also brought onto LCH staff an on-site nurse named Gloria Faith who is attending to the majority of on-site medical cases under the supervision of the Medical Coordinator. This month we saw 85 patients from LCH home, primary school, and staff & family. The majority of complaints were mild flu and cough, and we had a total of eleven malaria cases. All cases were treated on site and have fully recovered. As the month of May came to an end, we saw a massive uptick in the emergence of the 2nd wave of COVID-19 in Uganda. We are temporarily on a partial lockdown per government and all schools have been closed for a period of 42 days. Please pray that we are able to preserve life, both through protective measures and that God will enable Uganda to endure this second wave, and that God may be glorified despite obstacles in our way.
DISCIPLESHIP REPORT
Discipleship has continued to be conducted both at Lulwanda, Tendo, and Alumni up until the most recent lockdown which closed churches, prayer gatherings, etc. Prior to the lockdown, we have continued to see our children grow in both their knowledge of God, but His purpose for them in His creation. There have been a variety of taboo topics discussed and studied from a Biblical world-view, ultimately leading to biblical leadership within the family for those who are at Tendo/Alumni and inevitably will soon find themselves as husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. Typical attendance at Lulwanda is compulsory so all attend. Tendo Bible study hosts around 20, and Alumni have attendance of anywhere from 10-20 depending on the week. Bible Study will continue to be delivered electronically to those who are not at LCH, as will personal counselling for those who are in need. On-site devotions and prayers will not be affected. Please continue to pray with us that God prepares the hearts of His Children through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that our leadership reflects His nature and points all to the Cross.
HOLIDAY PROGRAM
As all our Children are back from School after the government announced the lockdown, we have embarked on a number of activities to help them become active and busy. This includes playing football, netball, volleyball and above all having time for Bible study and fellowship. We are waiting for the Government to resume the study programs on Television and Radio like it was in the first Lockdown. However, all our Children at Lulwanda Children’s Home have been given special holiday packages by the teachers to help them review what they had learnt in class before the Lockdown and also help them to research on their own by reading intensively during their free time.
CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSE 7 & 8
The presidential directives on the lockdown did not affect the construction sites and hence the construction of the two new houses is going on well. The Roofing of the two houses is now complete and hopefully in a couple of weeks the fixing of the windows, doors, wiring and plumbing works will start very soon. Once the construction has been completed, we shall shift the older girls and boys who are in secondary school in these new houses. We hope the construction will be completed within the agreed period as signed in the contract agreement. We are grateful to all of you for the generous contribution towards this noble cause. Our next need shall be the renovation and modification of the boys’ hostel into offices.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
God has been gracious to us by employing Auntie Mercy Chekwemboi as the program coordinator. Once again, the office of the program coordinator is very active after Auntie Natalie left for the USA. What Mercy does now is proof and testimony of the legacy that Auntie Natalie left behind. Indeed, Children learn by imitating the Adults. Thank you Natalie for the good mentorship. A number of activities were carried out among which was swimming for all P.7, S.4 and S.6 holiday makers. Some of the grown Children were engaged in crafts using papers while the young ones were involved in colouring which is their favourite. Others were involved in taking care of the environment by keeping the compound clean. A number of stories have been captured concerning our kids and very soon such stories shall be published on our website – GICF. This will help you to know more about the Children and how they are progressing before and after Lulwanda.
SOCIAL WORK
The social work office which was operational in the clinic has been shifted to the vacant room in the boys’ hostel. The clinic is now being occupied by the full time Nurse we hired this month. When the renovation and modification of the boys’ hostel has been completed, all offices shall be shifted on the same block. We are praying that God will open doors for the availability of funds to carry out the construction.
We have some kids whose care orders are soon expiring and the social workers are busy preparing the paperwork for the renewal. Our biggest concern and worry is whether we shall be able to access the Chief Magistrate since the courts are not fully operational due to the covid-19 restrictions. However everyone understands the situation in which we are operating right now.
This very month, we had planned as the Lulwanda team together with the office of the senior probation and welfare officer to visit the identified vulnerable orphans for rescue. However, this was not possible due to the Lockdown and government restrictions. Once the lockdown is lifted, we shall plan again to rescue the identified kids and we shall inform you accordingly.
COUNSELING AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Our children need continuous love, care and support during their stay at LCH with us, based on the life they have been exposed to. They feel loved and through this time of interaction, they are able to share their life experiences and find a shoulder to lean on. We get time to share the word of God and encourage them to grow up trusting God as the father and friend at all times. Together we come up with action points to help them deal with the past and focus onto the future
FARM WORK
I’m glad to report that our Children have embraced garden work and right now all houses have started harvesting beans. The idea of farm activities is to help our Children have different skills in farming so as to be able to fit in the community very well and also be able to survive after Lulwanda. So far house one was able to buy a fridge in their house after selling the excess maize they had cultivated. House four is planning to buy the Television in their house within a couple of weeks. Other houses are also planning to buy different items. This has motivated the Children to enjoy working because the fruits of their labour have been realised.
CONCLUSION
Once again we are grateful for your support. All the support given to us has greatly impacted the lives of our Children and we appreciate it so much. There is a positive big bunch of change in all ways at Lulwanda. I kindly request you to continue supporting us in accomplishing this great task that the Lord Has put before us. Praying for God’s protection upon each of you and staying safe. Thank you and God bless!
Best regards,
Paul Isabirye
LCH Administrator
