Once again, l bring greetings from our big Lulwanda family. It’s yet another beautiful month that we got to experience the hand of God, despite our concerns in the previous month. We are continuing to grow stronger as we continue to see His wonderful mighty hand full of love and mercies upon our children and even more new developments at the home. Who can say no when the Lord says yes! Allow me take you through the activities of the month.

Health

All our children are doing well despite an increased rate of malaria cases among the children in Uganda right now. As usual cases of malaria have been tested and treated very well by the house mothers.

During the previous health inspection of June by the government officials, the health inspector identified the breeding areas for mosquitos which bring malaria. The team recommended indoor fumigation (which was done immediately) and our septic tank (which was the main source of breeding mosquitos) was fumigated and covered well. Next month the team will be visiting to examine the food handlers.

The social workers also administered a general pregnancy test for our Tendo girls under the support of medical personnel from Joy Hospice, one of our partner health facilities. Thank God all results for our girls turned out negative. This helps in planning as they will be soon join the University.

Mdpc Group

We were blessed with a team of missionaries from Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, of 36 people (mostly youth plus several adults) who had a great time with the children and staff at Lulwanda. The team carried out activities in and around Lulwanda community. They helped with packaging scholastic materials for the Good Neighbor Program. The team spent a lovely moment with the good neighbor children who were hosted at Lulwanda for a full day full of fun. The good neighbor children were so excited to receive the gifts from the team as this will in turn enable them to participate fully in school. The team visited Busiu Secondary School and shared the word of God with the children and staff members. They also carried out hut-to-hut evangelism in the neighboring communities of Lulwanda. They played games, danced and focused on VBS with the children. The last day of departure the Lulwanda children entertained the team as a way of thanking them. It was an emotional day when the team was leaving because the children still wanted their presence.

Secondary School Visitation

July 6th was a day for school visitation for our secondary school children. This time round it was the visitation for 3 secondary schools attended by our children. At the same time it was the day for the traditional wedding Introduction Ceremony (similar to an engagement ceremony) for the Lulwanda Accountant Rachael Nambuya. It was a busy day as we had to divide ourselves among the three schools (Rainbow High School, Tororo Girls and St. Peter’s College Tororo). At the time we came back from the school visitation, it was too late to catch up with Rachael’s introduction fully. Never the less we rushed and watched the last bits of the event. We thank the Lord that we were able to visit our children and encourage them to work hard for better grades but also be able to witness Rachael’s introduction ceremony.

REPORT OF CHILDREN ATTENDING SCHOOL 2019

S/N	NAME	SCHOOL	COURSE	DURATION
1	Anthony Wojjambuka	Arapai Agricultural college	Certificate in General Agriculture	2yrs
2	Ivan Musambaki	Mbale school of Nursing	Certificate in Nursing and Midwifery	2yrs
3	Denis Wambele	Mbale polytechnic vocational insitute	Certificate in Electrical installation	2yrs
4	Sarah Nasike	UCU-Mbale	Certificate in child Development and children Ministry	2yrs
5	Mike Wangota	Miken Vocational Insitute	Commercial Art and Design	1yrs
6	Racheal Nandudu	Miken Vocational Insitute	Tailoring	1yrs
7	Patience Komugisha	Miken Vocational Insitute	Commercial Art and Design	1yrs
8	Betty Namutosi	Miken Vocational Insitute	Hair dressing	1/2yrs

Children Excelling At School

We wish to recognize the following Lulwanda children for working hard and showing excellent school results.

John Mutsoshi is doing well at School and he is a child with clear objectives and vision. He is very interested in politics and has great concern about whatever takes place in the community. Currently he is at St. Mary’s Lugazi in senior five and working very hard to score the best grades, in order to attend university on a government scholarship. He campaigned to be a court prosecutor at school and was elected with majority votes. John’s ambition is to become a lawyer and help the less privileged people with legal advice. Remember at O level he was elected as the head class captain in the entire school. Class captains monitor the effective teaching and learning of teachers and students in class and later report to the Headteacher. We can see leadership skills being exhibited by this young man. Let us pray that all be well as he pursues his dreams.

Gift Naluboka, like Maliza Mutenyo before her, hopes to attend university on a government scholarship. She is very brilliant and outspoken girl. She is a very active member of debating club in addition to music, dance and drama. Since she joined secondary school, she has only scored Division one in all terms. Remember at one time she received the school bursary and Lulwanda rewarded her with the full scholarship for that very term. This has motivated other Lulwanda children to work hard.

Norah Masai has continued to shine at school despite the change of study environment from Tororo Girls to Rainbow High School. She has been identified by the School administration and the teachers as a brilliant girl. At Rainbow High School, she is the leader of our children and has much concern for her brothers and sisters when they are not feeling well. She is very good at debates and this has earned her a certificate of recognition by the National council of the debating club. This was the time when she was picked from the many students to represent her school at a national debate on environmental issues hosted at the parliament of Uganda.

Davis Namonye is another child who is above average with an average mark of 64% but very disciplined. He has a positive attitude in whatever he does and he loves to participate in games with the friends during leisure time. Teachers at School are very proud of Davis and he holds a lot of influence in the peer group.

Reintegration

We are planning to reintegrate some of our older children back with their clan or relatives by the end of this year. Social workers have visited the clan members of the children and assessed the economic, housing, health, recreation facilities and other conditions of the respective families. This helps in the planning for the child who is due for reintegration. The following are the children whose homes were assessed. Ivan Butali, Andrew Masiga, Phoebe Nambozo, Donah Nadunga, Gift Naluboka, Sandra Namakoye, Mary Namubi, Fatuma Sarah Namubya, Wycliff Seddu and Zacharia Leka and Willy Wamono. Reports are being prepared for submission to the Leadership Team and the members of the Child Panel which is to meet and make decisions by the August 2019.

Conclusion

I wish to thank all of you for the love, care and support that you are rendering to Lulwanda children. This makes our children to be special, blessed and chosen among the many children in the world. In our daily expression of appreciation, we are mainly left with only one word and that is thank you very much and be blessed.

In Him,
Paul Isabirye
Administrator
Lulwanda children’s Home

I greet you all in the precious name of our Lord. It’s my great honor to share this monthly report with you, as it was characterized by joy and sadness. However we are encouraged by His word that whatever happens, it’s for the good of those who believe in Him. We give Glory to the Almighty God that our children have been given a chance in life which most kids don’t receive. This is happening because they are special before the Lord and they have been chosen among the many. Thank you for being part of the vessel that the Lord is using to bring hope, love and help them reach their full potential.

Medical

As Ryan prepared to go on furlough this year, he made sure that each house mom was stocked with all the essential medical supplies. Each home received supplies for treating malaria, first aid, flu, infections, etc. Each mother was briefed on her roles in recognizing and administering medicine when needed. Mama Susan has been tasked with the follow ups on monthly visits for our two girls living with HIV. Overall, I believe we are in a good place and Ryan can go for his furlough.

We further had a health inspection from the District Health Office Busiu, checking on the conditions of the home and helping us identify areas that need improvement, especially general hygiene and repairs among others. The inspector was taken around the home, inspecting every house, the compound and the school as well.

Visiting Team

June was a very rewarding time at Lulwanda, and a team arrived from Sharon Church in McDonough, GA. This team of seven spent the week focusing on vacation Bible school for all lower primary children. Many crafts were made; tie-dye shirts were made, along with balloon animals. Each session began with the team leading praise and worship and telling a Bible story to the children. They also put a very large smile on our boys’ faces when they donated a PlayStation 4 with their favorite soccer video game FIFA 2019. This team also spent two days going into the local village and sharing the gospel and meeting the most essential needs of eight families. We praise God for the partnership and fruit that can be seen from this trip. The team plans to potentially bring two teams over the next year.

Construction Of New Houses

Construction of houses 5 & 6 is in progress and construction work is going on well. Both buildings are at roofing level and the construction work will be completed by the end of August. Again another set of 20 kids will be accommodated in these two new houses. We are so grateful for the financial support which has enabled the work to move on well.

University Admissions

I am glad to report that several of our children have been admitted to different Universities for the August 2019 intake.

S/N	NAME	UNIVERSITY	COURSE	DURATION
1	MALIZA MUTENYO	MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL	BACHELOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS MGT	3 YRS
2	DINAH NAMBOZO	UCU-MUKONO	BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION	3 YRS
3	BRENDA NABWIRE	UCU-MUKONO	BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION	3 YRS
4	AIDA KAKAYI	UCU-MBALE	BACHELOR OF ART IN EDUCATION	3 YRS
5	BRENDA BABIRYE	UCU-MBALE	BACHELOR OF PROCUREMENT AND LOGISTICS	3 YRS

Late Florence Nekesa

It was a very sad moment for the entire Lulwanda family when we learned that our own beloved staff member Florence Nekesa passed on. She had been struggling for some time complaining of several illnesses until she was diagnosed with Hypertension. She later had a stroke and died. She left behind six children and three are still school age. We appreciate the valuable time she invested in Lulwanda of 14 yrs. She was hardworking and loving to the children. Fresh memories of her are still among the staff members and the children. We shall miss her greatly. May the good Lord continue comfort the family members. May her soul rest in peace.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading this report and kindly take some few minutes to pray for Lulwanda family as the Holy Spirit shall guide you.

Thank you once again!

In Him,
Paul Isabirye
Administrator
Lulwanda Children’s Home

Health

We are in the process of the evaluation of Hope Medical Center as a possible alternative to our current form of medical care. They have a form of health insurance they are offering at reduced rates and this might be a good alternative for our staff and or Children. Overall, I want to thank God for sustaining both our staff members and our Children with good health.

Secondary Reporting

Our secondary school children have reported back to school. Prior to reporting, all the secondary children went for shopping under the supervision of the staff members. The shopping involves personal requirements necessary for the stay at School. The School requirements are purchased by the staff member, Mama Juliet. We have also paid the first installment of School fees and the remaining balance shall be cleared on the visitation day.

University Application

We have applied for the University admissions for the S.6 Children of last year. These included Aidah Kakayi, Brenda Namakoye and Brenda Babirye at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale campus and Nambozo Dinah, Nabwire Brenda at UCU Mukono. We are waiting for the response at the beginning of June 2019. Meanwhile we are yet to pick up the admission letter for Maliza Mutenyo who was taken on government sponsorship.

We also secured the admission for Namutosi Betty, who successfully completed her P7 last year and passed with division 2 grades. She has showed interest in hair dressing and currently she is studying at Miken Vocational Institute, Mbale. We are still waiting for the admission letter for Anthony Wojjambuka who applied for a general certificate in Agriculture at Arapai Agricultural College. He is most likely to begin in August but right now he is helping in the farm as he gains experience and knowledge.

Family Meeting

We held a family meeting with the children to discuss family and school issues. It was a good time to share and discuss their academic progress. Those with good grades were encouraged to work harder and those with low grades were advised to set goals and encouraged never to give up but aim higher. Children who excelled were rewarded with gifts and cash. Below are the names of Children who excelled and were rewarded.

1. Primary

S/N	NAME	CLASS	POSITION	REWARD
1.	Patricia Nakhumitsa	P.2	1st	GIFT
2.	Emmanuel Kintu	P.5	1st	GIFT
3.	Daphine Namulondo	P.5	2nd	GIFT

2. Secondary ‘O’ Level

S/N	NAME	CLASS	AV.MARK	GRADE	REWARD
1.	Gift Naluboka	5.3	80	DIV. 1	100,000=
2.	Norah Masai	5.3	80	DIV. 1	100,000=
3.	Samual Buyinza	5.2	71	DIV. 2	40,000=
4.	Davis Namonye	5.2	70	DIV. 2	40,000=

3. Secondary ‘A’ LEVEL

S/N	NAME	CLASS	POINTS/20	REWARD
1.	Peace Ayombe	S.5	18	100,000=
2.	Malvin Nakayenze	S.5	18	100,000=
3.	John Mutoshi	S.5	17	100,000=
4.	Maliza Mutenyo	S.6	19	100,000=
5.	Dinah Nambuzo	S.6	18	100,000=
6.	Brenda Nabwire	S.6	17	100,000=

4. Secondary Bursary Cases

S/N	NAME	CLASS	REWARD
1.	Peace Ayombe	S.5	470,000=
2.	Malvin Nakayenze	S.5	470,000=

We also discussed about discipline / behavior and respect for caregivers since they are their parents at the moment. Children were encouraged not to involve themselves in activities that waste their time, and avoid bad peer influence. They were advised to have positive attitude towards counseling since it’s a healing process to personal or psychosocial problems. Personal responsibility was emphasized as assign of maturity and should learn to use the available resources very well and be content with what has been provided.

Community Outreach:

The children had a community outreach to Joy hospice and Our Lady of Fatima Dispensary as a service and way of sharing their love with those outside their environment. The children and staff did a major cleaning of the facilities, both young and older children. They scrubbed the washrooms, mopped the wards, windows, verandas, cleaned the compound (picking rubbish, slashing, digging the flower gardens) and also prayed with the patients who were admitted on ward. It’s an activity that is done every holiday in different facilities and they enjoy it.

Thrasher’s Team:

Thrashers team visited Lulwanda and had meetings with the Social workers, house mothers and the Lulwanda management team plus some members of the local management committee. During the meeting with the social workers and house mothers, they discussed the library and its use as a way of inspiring Children to develop good reading habits. They also shared the daily schedule for Children and resolved that Children need enough time to refresh as they pursue their goals.

The team also held workshop training with the teachers. Teachers were trained on the new teaching methods and best ways to use the library for effective teaching. They were taught about the use of science practical for better understanding of science. The training lasted for three days and teachers were much blessed and promised to apply the knowledge acquired to help the students.

Exemption Of Tax

We finally received our exemption tax letter from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) from the period 2017-2019. This is a big deal for Lulwanda because we shall be exempted from all the income tax which had been assessed on us without our knowledge. We are in the process of renewing the tax exemption for the next 3 years.
The Good Neighbor Program

As we normally do, we hosted the community children at Lulwanda where they were given scholastic materials, shoes and uniform. The community children together with our children received educational and spiritual guidance from the staff members. We had games and preaching of the word by Pastor David Muwoya and finally the children were served with a delicious meal before going back home.

Conclusion

I would like to thank the Almighty God for His faithfulness, love and grace that we were able to carry out all these activities successfully.

Thank you so much for the love towards the children and staff of Lulwanda, and for the continuous support. We are grateful for all that you do to ensure the children are well, happy and living a life towards reaching their full potential. May the lord bless you all.

In Him,
Paul Isabirye
Administrator
LCH