Greetings to our dear sponsors and donors. I thank you on behalf of the Lulwanda Children and staff for the good will of supporting us even when we are all experiencing economic hardships worldwide. Our Children are being raised in the fear and knowledge of God. Allow me to take you through the activities of the month of May.

MEDICAL

Medically our Children are doing great and we thank the Almighty God for His protection. A total of 83 patients were registered comprising the Children and the staff members. Malaria cases were registered with a big number as it’s now a country wide spread disease among the Children. We have fumigated the home and purchased new mosquito nets to reduce malaria cases. We intend to continue fumigating after every three months. Flu and cough which is another challenge among the kids was handled and managed well by the Nurse. We have encouraged our Children to take plenty of water, eat fruits in addition to vitamin C tablets to help boost their immunity. Deworming was done for all the home Children and staff and the pregnancy test for the bigger girls was also done. As usual the test results for all girls were negative and we continue to bless the Lord that our girls are living a pure life that glorifies the name of God.

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING AND FEES CLEARANCE

This month we had our children report back to school for all levels. It’s always a busy period as we plan for shopping and buying scholastic materials. We are grateful that secondary, Trade school and University Children reported back to school successfully with full payment of the school fees. This has been possible because of your financial support which is remitted to Grace International Children Foundation. As the children continue to pursue their educational careers, keep praying that they remain focused and also utilize the blessing that God has provided to be able reach their full potential.

JOHN MUTOSHI

We are grateful to this young man who is focused and is a good example to the rest of the Children. John is a first year student pursuing a degree in Law at the Uganda Christian University Mukono and his desire is to become an advocate for the voiceless and vulnerable people. He decided to spend his holiday volunteering at the farm by cleaning the pigsty and feeding the pigs. He was very resourceful in landscaping for houses 7 & 8 and also digging around the main hall plus trimming the flowers. Later in the day, he runs errands in the social worker’s office and the primary school carrying out a few activities. We are grateful for what God is doing in his life for other Children to learn.

AMBROSE MUTEMA

Ambrose is currently pursuing a 4-year bachelor’s degree of Science in Media Technology at Livingstone International University Mbale. He is right now on an internship at Advent Junior School where he is imparting computer knowledge and skills to the students. We are grateful that our Children are advancing in different fields and are learning the value of serving humanity.

FINANCIAL TRAINING

We have on–going financial training in which staff and children are learning about savings and proper management of money. This month we had two classes running concurrently; the staff training facilitated by Irene the social worker and the Children training facilitated by Olive the social worker and Anthony Wanzala. The staff members studied managing business money and the Home Children studied household money. This was successfully done and now the instructors are in preparation for the next class in June 2022. The turn out was good and the sessions are participatory to ensure that all understand the financial concepts.

STAFF COMMUNICATION

We held a staff meeting to address and enlighten the staff members about the grievance policy. We realized that some staff members forget the organizational policies even when they have signed those policies before being employed. Some of the earlier policies discussed with the staff members and even signed by the members as a requirement for working include the Child Protection Policy and Christian Ethics. The purpose of this discussion was to help staff members to express any grievances without compromising the performance at work. This was a good eye-opener to the staff members who did not know about the right procedures for handling grievances at the workplace.

HARVESTING

The house mothers have started harvesting beans planted in March 2022. The harvest is not as good as was expected due to unreliable weather conditions. The small harvest from the gardens will help us to reduce the money spent on the purchase of food items from the market every week. We are also expecting to harvest maize corn in the month of August and plan to purchase extra maize and beans in the month of August when prices are low and put it in the store to be on the safe side.

WOMEN CONFERENCE

Some of the house mothers attended the women’s conference organized by the Eastern Presbytery Church under the leadership of Mama Aida Ogenga. It was a 3day conference with the theme “Lies women believe”. The conference was a blessing to the mothers as they discovered the truth in light of the Biblical teachings. They also held small groups where women and the team leader shared on how to manage a family and the Children as a responsible mother. We are grateful to Mama Aida for inviting the house mothers to be part of the conference.

CONCLUSION

We continue to thank you for being God’s vessel to bring hope to the Lulwanda Children. What lies ahead of them is bright and this is attributed to your continued support which brings a big difference in the lives of these kids. The tangible results are clear and even the blind can see the improvements. All our kids are very appreciative of your support. You are the reason for the big smiles as they continue to stay at Lulwanda Children’s Home. Thank you so much and may the Grace of God be with you all.

In His Grace
Paul Isabirye
Administrator-LCH

Greetings to all our dear friends. We continue to thank the Almighty God for being a blessing to the lives of the Lulwanda Children. I know the global economic situation is becoming difficult but your unconditional love is unwavering. We appreciate you for the support given to the home in catering for the wellbeing of the Children. Thank you so much and let God bless the work of your hands. I am glad to let you know the activities of April as below.

MEDICAL

We are grateful to the Almighty God for keeping us well. We had a total number of 94 patients which comprised Home Children and Staff. Apart from the two cases of serious illness, all other cases were managed by our Nurse at the home. Judith Namusoga and Carol Naula were referred to our sister partner Joy Hospice for laboratory testing and further management. As usual, we registered a big number of malarial cases, followed by flu, cough and a few cases of possible viral/bacterial infections. Our clinic is well stocked with first line medicine to handle such illnesses. We are grateful to Uncle Ryan Kelley who donated several medical items like bandages, antibiotic ointment, Epinephrine injections, gauze pieces, masks-N95 particulate respirators.

This month marked the end of term one 2022 and we thank God for enabling our Children to push through the term successfully. They will have a three weeks’ holiday to rest and refresh their minds after having studied for three months and later report for second term at the beginning of next Month-May. I am very glad to report that most of our children in primary school greatly improved in performance across all classes and were able to obtain the highest grades.

However, on the Secondary Children, their performance was not all that impressive, especially science subjects. We organized a meeting with all secondary Children in the office to hear from them and find ways of helping them concentrate and work hard for good grades. The meeting went on well and all promised to work hard in the second term.

EASTER CELEBRATION

We celebrated the festive Easter season with gladness as it was full of teachings and fun. Easter season reminds of the great love and sacrifice that Jesus Christ poured out for mankind. Through His atonement, we were restored back to the Heavenly Father and our sins forgiven. We also used this season to have a reunion where we invited all the Lulwanda Alumni, Tendo and trade school Children back home. The get together party for all the Children was characterized by praying, games, face painting, music and dance, ice cream and cutting the cake among other activities. We give God the Glory for bringing us together as a big family and continue to experience God’s love.

VISIT BY CHAIRMAN LARRY, MICHAEL KENISON AND MIKE THRASHER TEAM

Again we were blessed to have three US Board members visiting us this month after a long period of two years due to covid-19 restrictions to movements. Chairman Larry and Mama Dee were the first to arrive, followed by Mike Thrasher and his team members and later joined by Michael Kenison. The Thrasher team consisted of Sue & Buzz Green, Bonita & Allan Fyke and lastly Mike and Mary Thrasher.

Chairman Larry and Mama Dee had a special dinner with University Children of Mukono, Kampala and Tendo. This gave them a great opportunity to discuss with the Children a number of issues. As parents they were able to guide and offer counseling to our Children to be able and reach their full potential. Before his departure, the Chairman held several meetings with different departments to familiarize himself with work activities but also advise where necessary.

Mike Thrasher and the team held a meeting with the Lulwanda teachers where they assessed the impact of covid-19 on the teaching and learning for Lulwanda primary school. Mike and Mary had a successful meeting with the District Education officer Mbale on a number of educational issues for the benefit of our Children. Mike and the team had a fellowship dinner with the Tendo Children and Lulwanda Alumni at Mt. Elgon hotel. Uncle Mike urged the Children to work hard for a better future. He said the desire of the sponsors and donors is to see all sponsored Children succeed in life by becoming professionals in different fields.

Mike Kenison made his first time to visit Lulwanda. He made a tour of the Lulwanda facilities where he was much impressed with the ongoing activities. He also held a meeting with the social workers where they shared knowledge on how to improve the Lulwanda database for better storage and retrieval of the information concerning the Children.

The visit of the three Board members was a huge blessing to the Lulwanda Management Team as we had ample time to discuss several issues concerning the Home.

LAPTOP DONATIONS

We are grateful to the Fisher family who donated five Dell XPS laptop computers to Lulwanda Children. It’s a big push for the Children to catch up with e-learning, especially the University and trade school Children. The Fisher family have sponsored Doreen Kibukuna right away from Childhood up to now when Doreen has completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mukono University and now she is looking for employment.

DISTRICT OFFICIALS

We received officials from Mbale district who were on the familiarization tour to all Childcare institutions within their area of jurisdiction. On arrival at Lulwanda, we took them around the Lulwanda premises and they were extremely impressed with the new house models. During the meeting, we were told that during their council session, they will give the untold story about Lulwanda home. They thanked the donors and sponsors for changing the lives of the vulnerable orphans of Uganda and pledged to stand with us whenever we approach them. The delegation was led by the outgoing Senior probation officer- Madam Harriet Nekesa who was promoted to the position of Principle Community Development Officer Mbale District.

RENOVATION OF HOPE DORM AND BOY’S DORM

Plans are underway to contract P & A to renovate Hope dorm and the boys’ dorm. We plan the Hope dorm to be divided into three compartments; one room will be used as a food store and this will help us to buy enough food grains during the harvest season when prices are lower. The second room will be used as the music store and practice; while the third room will be used for tailoring where our Children will be able to acquire the tailoring skills. We hope to develop the tailoring department where we shall incorporate hairdressing, art & craft among other skills to benefit our Children. Apart from the classroom knowledge, we want our Children to acquire several skills which help them become self-employed. The boy’s dorm will be renovated to be used as offices by different departments. Praying for the availability of funds to be able to carry out such activities for the good of our Home.

NEW SPONSORS, PHOTOS AND LETTERS

We are grateful to the Almighty God that two of our new Children got sponsors. Thank you sponsors for picking and sponsoring Gertrude Namakoye and Judith Namusoga. Thank you so much for loving and picking these two beautiful girls. Praying that the remaining Children will be able to have friends/sponsors. As caregivers to the Children, we are committed to uphold Sponsor-Child relationships through consistent flow of communication. I know most of you have written letters to our Children and very soon you will be receiving the reply.

We are grateful to Mama Dee who was able to take photos for all the Children while on her trip to Uganda. She was also able to gather materials to be used in the fellowship dinner most likely to take place in October 2022. Thank you so much for that great job Mama Dee!

INSTALLATION OF THE NEW WATER TANK

We are grateful to your generous financial contribution which enables us to install a new water tank of Ten thousand liters. Previously we had started experiencing the water crisis because the old tank had been damaged and could not serve the intended purpose. Our prayer again is to buy more solar panels and batteries to be able to have enough constant supply of power and be able to light the home all night and also reduce the expenditure for UMEME (grid power) costs every month.

GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM

Our Children interacted with the Children from the neighborhood and had a wonderful fellowship. In this program we teach our Children to be a blessing to other Children in the community just as they receive a blessing from the donors and sponsors. It also helps our Children to grow when they are social and grow with a sense of humanity. The community Children received scholastic materials and hygiene kits since most community parents cannot afford to buy such materials for their Children. Our Children love this day as they have a lot of fun and game activities during the day. We also share the word of God and words of wisdom as they pursue their educational path.

DISCIPLESHIP AND FELLOWSHIP

This is now part of our culture to continue growing in the word of God and fellowship every Wednesday with the staff members and Tuesday with the Tendo Children. Above all we have the Friday fellowship with all the Lulwanda and Community Children. We also use this time to counsel both the staff and Children using the word of God. Several topics are discussed and shared which benefit both the adults and the youth by Pastor Martin.

CONCLUSION

We continue to appreciate God for His providence and protection upon every one. We thank our donors and sponsors for being a blessing and part of our Children’s lives. Every contribution you make towards the sponsorship of the orphans changes every bit of their lives. Our Children have never remained the same from the time they were rescued from their villages. Thank you so much and God bless.

In His Grace
Paul Isabirye
Administrator
LCH

Lovely greetings from the little ones of Lulwanda. Once again it’s a blessing to take you through the activities of the month. Before we look at the activities , we are thankful to all of you for the great and continued support rendered to the vulnerable Children. God has been gracious to us as we continue to be a role model in raising up Children in the Eastern part of Uganda. We continue to receive visitors recommended by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to come and learn from us on how we carry out different activities in raising orphans. Thank you so much for being part of this success story. Below are the activities of the month of March.

MEDICAL

This month we had a total number of 67 patients and this comprised the Children and staff members. The main illness was malaria, respiratory tract infections, flu and cough. We had six referrals. This included Treavor Mulongo and Madina Akelo who were referred due to persistent fever and headache. Grace Adongo, Bridget Kwaga and Daisy Khanakwa were taken for dental check-up and management. James Auloyi was taken to the eye clinic Mbale and praying that he responds to the medication. Marion Neboshe caught Chicken pox and thankfully, she was treated by the Nurse and she recovered very well without spreading to the rest of the Children. Generally, all our Children are doing well medically and we are grateful for your contribution towards the health of our Children.

DISCIPLESHIP

We are grateful to Ryan Kelley for the continued involvement in the leadership and discipleship of the staff and children through WhatsApp. We are enriched and blessed by his messages on a daily basis. As home staff, we always gather and have our fellowships every Wednesday of the week. During this session, we sing praise and worship. Then we read scriptures from the Bible under the leadership of the Lulwanda Youth Pastor Martin which helps us boost our spiritual lives and also encourage one another.

KELLEY’S DEPARTURE

The Kelley family has transitioned from Uganda to the United States this month. They served at Lulwanda for almost 6 years and are sad to leave, but comfortable in knowing that the departure is God’s will. They also plan to return to Uganda every six months to check on the children and staff at Lulwanda and remain missionaries to Uganda. They are extremely grateful for their time in Uganda and look forward to staying involved. They have settled in Laurium, Michigan where Ryan will be working as the Staff Director at Gitchee Gumee Bible Camp and working as the Business Manager for Destination Calumet. He will also be involved with their local church there in lay-ministry opportunities as they arise. Be praying that they continue to pursue the Lord in all they do for His glory alone.

JOHN PALMER’S VISIT

We were blessed to receive Uncle John Palmer and his daughter Lilly Palmer towards the end of this month. It was such a joyful moment to welcome him and Lilly after a long period of time since he left Lulwanda in 2018. During his visit, he was able to reunite with the Lulwanda Alumni staying in Kampala, Mukono and Mbale. He also visited some of his old friends in Mbale town and staff members who retired from Lulwanda. On the first day at Lulwanda the staff members and Children welcomed John and Lilly with a lot of excitement. This was a valuable time to be together once again and also refresh past memories. John promised to come back next year 2023 with his beloved wife Bobby and a small team of 15-20 people.

HIRE OF TWO HOUSE MOTHERS

We hired Grace Adeke and Loyce Kainza as new house mothers for the newly constructed houses 7&8. So far they have shown to be good house mothers due to their love and care for the Children. Grace completed senior four and she is spiritually strong and committed to serving the Children and the Lord while Loyce is a secondary teacher who looks to be very resourceful for the benefit of the Children. All our Children are now staying in the new houses and we are very much grateful for your contribution towards building for the future.

LPS VISITATION

During the Lulwanda Primary School visitation, we were extremely happy to realise that our Children are performing and competing favourably with the Community children. Most of our Children were performing better than community children. The performance for mid-term examinations was good and the following children excelled in each class.

S/N	NAME	CLASS	POSITION/GRADE
1	EMMANUEL KINTU	P.7	DIVISION ONE
2	DAPHNE NAMULONDO	P.7	DIVISION ONE
3	PEACE MARANI	P.5	DIVISION ONE
4	PATRICIA NAKHUMITSA	P.4	DIVISION ONE
5	MARK PANDE	P.3	FIRST
6	EMMA TUMWA	P.2	FIRST
7	JAMES AULOYI	P.2	SECOND
8	ASUMAN KATO	P.1	SECOND
9	ESTHER ASEKENYE	TOP-CLASS	499/500
10	BONIFACE WASHIREKHO	TOP-CLASS	499/500
11	JOB WANZOYA	TOP-CLASS	499/500
12	BRIAN KOTOJE	MIDDLE-CLASS	499/500

TRAINING NEW STAFF ON CHILD PROTECTION

As a policy at LCH, all new staff have to be taken through the existing LCH policies. This month we were able to train all new staff on child protection policy which is paramount in handling children from different backgrounds. We also looked at other policies like Employee Medical Policy, Christian Ethics and Code of Conduct. At the end of the training the new staff signed the consent forms so that nobody has an excuse for being ignorant about the Policies

FINANCIAL TRAINING

Both the Lulwanda staff and Lulwanda Alumni are undergoing the financial training. On the side of the staff members, the financial training is aimed at creating self-help groups for members to pull resources together so that they can later lend to one another as well as save for the future. On the side of the Lulwanda Alumni the training is to equip them with wisdom in saving and to be able to start a small income business. However, few Alumni attended because they were still at school. We plan to quickly start in the next month of April during the holiday break since the majority will have finished exams. We are very much grateful to the Chairman of the US Board, Mr. Larry for ensuring that this goes on successfully.

SPONSOR LETTER WRITING

We are grateful to the Almighty God that some of our children received new sponsors while others received sponsor letters and were happy to write back to their sponsors. Thanks so much to our sponsors who not only send money but also take off time and write to the children. The children are always excited to hear from you as you tell them about yourself and knowing that there are friends outside Lulwanda who care and love them. They feel so good sharing their stories with you. For the new sponsors we are so grateful that you chose to sponsor a Child, demonstrating God’s Love towards the orphans. We are so grateful and may the good Lord God bless each of you.

CONCLUSION

Thank you so much for being part of the Lulwanda family to bring great changes in the lives of these little ones. Every contribution you make towards the welfare of the Lulwanda Children has created a big impact and restored hope to these vulnerable Children. As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, let us be reminded of what Christ said on the cross, “it is finished”. Salvation and restoration of the fallen man had been secured which is good news to all mankind. In the same way, this noble cause that the Lord put before you will be accomplished in future. It’s not an easy task but the Lord will ensure that it is fulfilled in the fullness of time. One more thank you so much and HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL!

In His Grace,
Paul Isabirye
Administrator-LCH

Once again I bring warm greetings from the family of Lulwanda Children’s Home and also be able to share with you the activities of the Month. Thank you for sparing time to read and get to know whatever is taking place at the Home. We appreciate you so much as this portrays the strong bond and love you have towards the orphans of Lulwanda.

MEDICAL

During February our Nurse received 113 patients and these were staff members and home children. The major illness was malaria, respiratory tract infection, bacterial infection, minor injuries, cough and flu. The most affected were Home Children with respiratory tract infection, cough and flu.

Kenneth Mbulamaye had a head injury while he was playing but thankfully the Nurse was able to carry out stitching and he is now well. We carried out the HIV test for all the Children and pregnancy test for the girls. All Children tested HIV negative apart from the new Child who was known to be positive and she’s already on HIV treatment. All the girls whom we tested for pregnancy test, results showed negative. To reduce malaria cases, we fumigated all the houses and we plan to buy new mosquito nets for all the Children.

DISCIPLESHIP

We are humbled to always meet as home staff every Wednesday and share the word of God. During this moment we get to praise and worship God through songs and thereafter share the word of God. We also get the opportunity to encourage one another and how best can we raise the orphans that the Lord has entrusted in our care. Ryan Kelley has continued to share the word of God and songs through our different communication platforms. This has greatly benefited us the staff, Tendo Children and Lulwanda Alumni.

MINISTRY TRAINING

We attended a two-day regional consultation meeting and training on Child marriage and teenage pregnancy at a local hotel in Mbale. The National strategy to end Child marriage and teenage pregnancy was organized by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and social development in partnership with UNICEF and World Vision. During this meeting which was attended by the social workers and administrator, we were tasked to define a child, understanding of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and what is the problem. We were also tasked to identify the root causes and sub causes of child marriage and teenage in our community. We also identified the current gaps in policy and program interventions and then later came up with strategies and Actions to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancies. Above all there was emphasis on giving a second chance to the girl who has given birth to return to school so that they can be equipped with skills as a way of reducing labor exploitation due to lack of employment skills.

UNIVERSITY COMPLETION- ANTHONY WANZALA

Finally, our beloved Son Anthony Wanzala has completed a four year course of Water Engineering and God willing he will be graduating before this year ends. This young man is very faithful and made the course relatively cheaper for us to pay although it’s known as one of the expensive courses at the University. This has been possible by accepting to live a modest life by asking only things that matter at the university. As a University requirement before graduation, he designed and constructed a remote controlled solar powered water machine for removing water hyacinth which is the fastest growing aquatic weeds on water bodies in Uganda especially on Lake Victoria). His work impressed the panel of engineers which attracted officials from the Minister of science, Technology and innovation office HON. Monica Musenero to look at his prototype for possible implementation at water bodies.

SECONDARY VISITATION

Due to covid-19 restrictions and preventive measures, most schools in Uganda, especially in the central region, have barred parents from visiting the Children at school. We only had an opportunity for visitation at Tororo girls where we have five girls. (Marita Ajambo, Robinah Nalwanga, Joyce Khakasa Neboshe, Sarah Fatuma Namubya and Mary Namubi). The team of staff members traveled to check on our children at school and check on their performance plus sharing the love of Christ. They were all found in good health and provided for all the requirements needed. They had a meal together, prayed for them and encouraged them to concentrate and work hard for a better future.

Though there was no visitation day for St. Mary’s College, Lugazi. I personally drove to the school and delivered all the school supplies for Gift Naluboka and Norah Masai. I found them in good health, happy and working hard in class. The two girls promised to merit University admission. We are grateful to God for the provision and we expect the very best out of their studies and continue praying for them.

TRADE SCHOOL

Three of our Children who completed certificates in trade schools have been attached to different people for hands-on skill training. Grace Egulansi is now attached to Jireh fashion and design for more skills. She has the passion to learn different fashion and design that are current and on market. So far she is doing great for the pieces she has made for display. Betty Namutosi is attached to Teacher Beth Muyama who has a saloon at Bugema trading center-Mbale. She is continuing with hair dressing. Hellen is at MTAC to learn hair dressing to learn the second skill. We are grateful that all are doing well and have started producing wonderful pieces of their work and we are grateful for the continued support. Timothy Wandiba is equally doing well with the course of electricity while Brian Webisa is doing plumbing at Benedict vocational institute Tororo.

LULWANDA PRIMARY SCHOOL (LPS)

A number of activities have taken place at LPS. First the teachers had an external workshop on abridged curriculum. This was organized by the Ministry of education to enable learners (students) to catch up with the teaching and learning after spending two years at home during the covid-19 lockdown. Teachers are now focusing on critical topics and learning outcomes along with psychosocial support. In the same way, teachers have discussed the performance of learners and remedial plus weekend lessons have been utilized to fill the gaps of lost time during the lockdown.

On another note, teachers have engaged learners in several practical lessons and this has made learning very interesting and understanding of concepts of topics has made it very easy. During the visitation day, some of the practical pieces were shown to the parents who were impressed by the teachers’ effort to help learners understand the science subject.

Our Children have been involved in the election of new prefects and a number of learners took interest to apply for the available posts and those who convinced the electorate were elected to different posts. The school elected a total of 25 prefects and Difasi Waniaye was elected the head prefect while Marion khainza was elected as the head girl. It was a hot contest of campaigns as Children exercised their right to vote for candidates of their choice. We always encourage our Children to campaign at school as a way of training them to become future leaders.

RESETTLEMENT OF MARY

With a lot of pain, we finally agreed to resettle Mary Nambozo who failed to recover from the post trauma and behavioral issues. We did all possible ways to take her to the psychiatrist doctors for checkup and counseling but all in vain. She continued to demand to be away from Lulwanda because she was used to the street life where she had the freedom to move whenever she wanted. She used to disappear through sneaking out of Lulwanda premises several times. This issue had been reported to the senior Probation officer Mbale district and to the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development Kampala. Both agreed that Mary be resettled with any distant relative to avoid causing issues for the Home, and Lulwanda should continue supporting her in terms of skilling and basic needs while staying in the village. We all agreed on hair dressing since she had the desire and interest in hairdressing. She was handed over to the senior probation officer Bulambuli and resettled with a distant grandmother Rose Negesa of Mbigi village, Mbigi Parish, Bulegeni Sub County in Bulambuli district. This was done in the presence of the probation officer Mbale district, LCH Administrator, Social workers, Pastor Morris and Mama Aidah.

CONCLUSION

As I wind up with this report, I am so grateful for each of our donors and sponsors. It’s a great milestone since you started supporting this noble cause that the Almighty God put on your heart. Every day that passes by, we continue to experience the love, favor and mercy of God towards the Home. Thank you for being the channel through which God is using to bring great smiles and hope for the vulnerable and orphaned Children of Lulwanda. God bless!

In His Grace
Paul Isabirye
Administrator- LCH

Happy new year to you all and special greetings from the little Children of Lulwanda.  We are grateful to the Almighty God for letting us complete the year well amidst the challenges of covid-19. Praying that this new year 2022, all of us receive the Divine blessings and Mercy of God. Below are some of the activities of the month.

MEDICAL REPORT

January was overall a good month for Lulwanda health-wise.  There was an increase in malaria cases; however, all have been treated and recovered.  This month 116 patients were seen at the clinic on site.  It is staffed by our very talented and loving nurse, Gloria.  These patients are staff, close staff relatives, and home children.  This month 63 malaria tests were conducted, of which 37 were positive.  Efforts to reduce malaria (fumigation, sleeping under nets, etc.) are not always 100 percent effective but will be continually valuable in our efforts to keep malaria rates lower.  Fifty patients were seen for flu and cough.  The remaining patients were seen for relatively minor complaints.  The children are dewormed quarterly, which was done on January 25th.  In addition, oral polio vaccines were given to children under five years via a government program to combat polio.  We are unsure if the flu and cough rates were a common cold or Covid related, but now patients have recovered, and cases are decreasing in Uganda.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the children and their health.

Nurse Faith Gloria getting blood samples from Mary Nambozo for malaria testing.

DISCIPLESHIP REPORT

Discipleship has been a combined effort at home, on-site, and digital (on line) this month.  Children have now safely reported back from social bonding and continued with discipleship as previously conducted.  Daily devotionals and songs are sent out digitally, with Bible studies sent out once weekly.  Within our digital platform, we studied the life of Abraham and how God wants us to respond to His Word.  Our youth hunger for the Lord and know Him through His eternal Word.  May this year be as fruitful as the last, for we desire not mere numbers but hearts changed and transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Glory be to the eternal Triune God.  Please continue to pray for our children’s hearts and that the Holy Spirit is at work in their hearts.  Pray for Pastor Martin as he resumes his teaching at home and for God to clarify the lessons and paths that He desires Pastor to teach this year.  We thank you in Christ.

Pastor Martin leading the staff during bible study

REPORTING OF KIDS BACK FROM SOCIAL BONDING

All our Children went to their respective village last month – December 2021 – for social bonding and came back to Lulwanda at the beginning of this month. It’s a requirement by the government of Uganda that all Children go back to their clan members for social bonding.  When they come back the social workers always interact with Children to get more information about how the village life was, how they were treated while with the clan members, challenges, and even some interesting stories that they would love to share. However, on the day Children reported back to Lulwanda, it was unfortunate and sad to hear that Mary Nambozo had run away from home and went roaming around the village in the trading centre. Reasons for running away are not clear but this young girl has a long history of living a street life after she was abandoned by her family members. It was by God’s Grace that we rescued her from this kind of life and brought her to Lulwanda. With the help of the Senior Probation Officer Bulambuli together with our social workers she was brought back to Lulwanda. Be praying for this young girl for the Lord to take control of her negative thoughts.

Social Worker Sylvia receives Mary Mugala together with a relative from social bonding.

OPENING UP OF SCHOOLS

With the reducing number of covid-19 cases, the government fully opened up the economy and schools have been allowed to operate fully. All school going Children have reported back to school. It was a joyous day at Lulwanda Primary School when we opened up and our Lulwanda Children were able to interact with community Children. Both teachers and students were excited to meet again and the first day was characterised by having remedial lessons, playing and having fun. We are glad that all our teachers reported back to school, because at most schools in Uganda (especially private schools) some teachers have abandoned teaching and currently are doing private business.

Headteacher of LPS addressing kids on the first day of reporting.

RENOVATION OF NURSERY SCHOOL AT LPS

We received funds to renovate the nursery school which was in bad shape. Renovation included extension of the Top class by breaking down the wall of the small store, installing a new floor and veranda for the middle class, and painting of the whole two blocks both inside and outside. Through P&A contractors, right now the school is shining and ready for use. We are grateful to the US Board for the provision of the funds.

Renovated Nursery School (LPS)

SECONDARY REPORTING

All our Secondary School Children have reported back to school and it was just excitement after a long period staying at home. Students right from Nursery up to University have reported to different schools and higher institutions of learning. I am happy to report that we have cleared all the tuition payments owed.  We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the almighty God and to GICF for the provision and support rendered to the children.  Many of the community Children delayed to report back to their respective school and some failed because most schools wanted full payment of the tuition to be able to meet the school demands and debts which they had incurred during covid-19 period.

Left -Right. Marita, Mary, Robinah, Sarah Fatuma and Joyce on the day of reporting to Tororo Girls’ School

Back to school shopping — senior five

GRADUATION

We are delighted to have three students graduate from Miken Vocational Institute with certificates in different fields. Betty acquired skills in hairdressing, Wangota Michael and Mukasa Yusuf both qualified in Commercial Art and Design. They have been working hard to ensure that they get the practical knowledge and skills required for them to join the employment sector.  We are grateful to the almighty God who enabled them to complete the course and still praying that they get employed in the shortest time possible.

On another note, Hellen Namulinda and Nadongo Egulansi graduated with certificates after a six-month program of study at MTAC Mbale campus. Both qualified in tailoring work and are requesting that they enrol for another six-month program in hairdressing so as to enable them set up their own business. 

We hope that such Children who qualify with such skills in different fields can be potential candidates to benefit from the entrepreneurship funding after fully attending and completing the curriculum for financial management at Lulwanda. Once given and equipped with all the necessary tools, they can be self-employed and do better.

L-R Mike Wangota, Betty Namutosi, and Yusuf Mukasa on the day of graduation.

CAREER GUIDANCE AND ADMISSIONS

A number of our children who sat for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) were admitted to different institutions of learning. This calls for career guidance on what subjects and courses to take in order to have the right career path.  Norah Masai and Gift Naluboka, both with great potential, have joined St. Mary’s college Lugazi which offers BCM (Biology, Chemistry and Maths) and MEA (Maths, Economics and Art) respectively. We are very much optimistic that Norah will be the first Lulwanda Child to become a Doctor. She is very smart and her desire is to become a neurosurgeon. Be praying for this young girl that her dreams may come to light. Marion Neboshe, Madinah Akello, Joyce Kibone and Betty Kisakye who sat for PLE joined Mbale Secondary School while Willy Wamono,  Nadunga and  Nambozo have joined S.5 in the same school.

Others who sat for UCE last year have joined trade school and are pursuing different courses.  Jackline Ngwabe is taking Hotel Catering and Management at Christian Child care Project (CCP), and Wanatsofu Vincent is doing plumbing at CCP.

Meanwhile, Timothy Wandiba and Brian Webisa are studying at Benedictine Vocational Institute – Tororo offering Electrical Installation system and Maintenance and Plumbing respectively. Thank you very much for your support and praying that all will succeed and be able to sustain themselves.

Norah and Gift on the reporting day at St.Mary’s College, Lugazi

TENDO NEW ENTRANTS

 This month, we have four Children that have exited Lulwanda Home and Joined Lulwanda- Tendo for the next two years. While at Lulwanda – Tendo they are trained on different skills in preparation for the final reintegration with the clan members. Here at Lulwanda – Tendo Children are given spiritual nourishment, allowed to go shopping and be able to learn bargaining skills, and also be trained on independent living while dealing with people in the community. All the new entrants are given orientation for successful completion of the two years. Anyone who falls short of the requirements will be requested to exit Lulwanda -Tendo. This year’s new entrants include; Joel Gwapa, Phoebe Namono, Samuel Buyinza and Davis Namonye Davis.  Each of these young adults receives some items which include towels, blankets, mattresses, pillows, buckets, basins, bedsheets and mosquito nets among others to help make their stay comfortable at Lulwanda – Tendo. We are grateful for yet another opportunity given to them to stay with the Lulwanda – Tendo family with full support.

Left – Right Samwiri, Davis, Phoebe and Joel arriving at Lulwanda – Tendo and being welcomed by Mary Namubi

ANNUAL SHOPPING

It’s always a huge expenditure this month as we do annual shopping for the Children. The social workers together with the house mothers come up with the budget and a list of items to be purchased and some of the items purchased include; Clothes, shoes, sandals, mattresses, bed sheets, blankets, bags and scholastic materials among others. The secondary school students are given money in the company of the social workers and house mothers to purchase clothes and shoes of their own choice and other small personal effects which is always an exciting moment.

Mama Christine has continued to purchase the weekly shopping for food and she is doing a tremendous job of cutting down the LCH food budget.

Mama Christine paying the seller.

Some of the children receiving scholastic items after annual shopping

Vests and pants for the Secondary School boys

School bags

Secondary Kids during the annual  shopping for clothes, shoes and other personal effects

Secondary school personal effects annual shopping

Mama Christine purchasing irish potatoes and carrots

Mama Christine purchasing cleaning supplies

TGN (The Good Neighbour)

Pastor David through the good neighbour program purchased scholastic materials which were given to the community Children. It was a joyous moment as Our Children interacted with the community Children and shared the word of God and a meal at the end of the day. Counselling of the community and Lulwanda Children was done by the Lulwanda staff together with Pastor David. A call was made to put God first in order to succeed in life.  Among the items purchased included scholastic materials, uniform,  soap and smearing jelly.

Ketty Kakayi with her TGN friend

Emmanuel Kintu with his TGN friend

CONCLUSION

Thank you so much for standing with us. All of this has been possible because of your kind and generous heart for the good of the orphans. Once without hope, now there is hope for a better future knowing that there are great friends across the globe who love and wish them well. Be blessed dear friends of Lulwanda!

In His Grace

Paul Isabirye

Administrator – LCH