NEWSLETTERS

CHILDRENS HELP FOUNDATION UGANDA
P.O.BOX 462 JINJA-UGANDA
TEL: +256-712-724498, +256-712071692
Reg No: 122287

Date: 14/07/2011

Every greetings from your Big Ugandan family and hoping you are well. Many things have been happening in our country! But thank God that has kept all CHFU team and Children in safe hands. The children are in school and we appreciate so much for taking all your effort to pay their tuition fees for this term and considering the huge amount has been paid and with little fees balance left,they will stay in school and sit for their end of term examination without any disturbance. bless your family always and may the good God extend your territory and boundaries. While the sick old granny is improving , our fellowship with them have been so helpful and encouraging to this family,they are being renewed every time they see us and assured to be feed, it brings such joy in our lives to see God bringing hope in them through our lives.

Changing the Subject:
A LIGHTNING strike at a primary school in western Uganda has killed 18 students and injured 50. Lightning hit Runyanya primary school in Kiryandongo district, about 225km northwest of Kampala, killing 15 girls and three boys yesterday, police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said.

Local media reported that a further 21 pupils were burned after lightning struck at a second school in Zombo district, about 380km north of Kampala. Police could not confirm the incident.

Nabakooba could not provide an exact figure for the total number killed by lightning in recent weeks, but local newspaper The Daily Monitor reported a total of 28 killed and scores injured in the past week, including Tuesday’s incidents.

Uganda is experiencing unseasonably heavy rainstorms and concern about the number of recent lightning strikes has prompted lawmakers to demand an official explanation from government.
Barely two days after killing three mourners in Akura sub county, Alebtong district, lightning on Monday evening struck again injuring 13 people who were sheltering from rain at Omoro Sub County headquarters. The lightning struck a police communication antenna adjacent to the sub county offices and in the process 13 people sustained burns.

On Saturday, lightning struck a group of mourners who were sitting under a tree and three died moments later. Eye witnesses said over 50 people were injured but 15 serious cases were taken to Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Alebtong Health Centre IV and Lira Medical Centre.

The rate at which lightning is killing people in the country has become a matter of concern. The number of people killed this month is more than ten in the country with some cases unreported. One person was killed in Amolatar in a different incident on Saturday. Alfred Ibek was hit at 3pm while going to a landing site.

Two primary school children and an old lady were killed in Jinja while three people were killed in Gulu by lightning this month. In September last year, six pupils were killed in Apac and Alebtong districts. Two were from Oburu Primary School, Omoro sub-county in Alebtong while four were pupils of Te-lela Primary School in Apac. (AllAfrica

The devastation, which is by far the biggest since unseasonal heavy rainstorms descended on the country, formed the highlight of debate on the floor of Parliament yesterday as lawmakers put the government on the wall to explain what is going on. Some 100 pupils at Runyanya PS are said to have been affected by the late afternoon thunderstorm, and medical personnel said the death toll was feared to rise by today.


Dozens of the dead were taken to the Kiryandongo Hospital morgue, three miles away from the primary school. Grief and emotion engulfed the hospital as many thronged to indentify the dead. Mr Patrick Kawamara, the Kiryandongo Resident District Commissioner, told that doctors had confirmed 18 dead, while 36 had been admitted nursing serious injuries. This brings the death toll from lightning strikes in the past one week to 28. Those killed yesterday included 14 girls, two boys and a female student-teacher.


Meanwhile, a total of 21 other pupils at Paidha Role Model Primary School in Zombo District received burns after they were struck by a bolt of lightning. Witnesses said several pupils writhed on floors in their classrooms holding their ears and eyes. The injured pupils were rushed to Nyapea Hospital, some 10km away from the school.


Six people in Yumbe District were similar victims while a cleric in Hoima is admitted to a private clinic partially paralysed after he was struck on Monday. In the last one week, there have been several incidents of lightning strikes which have left several people dead and untold damage.

Well that has been happening in our country but we thank God that conditions are now Ok. we have been so worried about our children as the lightning has been targeting mainly schools.

However, we are due coming to the end of this school term on 3rd/08/2011 and it is going to be again holiday for children.


Micheal


Date: 26/04/2011

Dear sponsors, well-wishers and friends,

NEWSLETTER:

Greetings of peace and love that comes from our Savior Jesus Christ. Today 22nd April 2011 the children have marked the end of first term of the academic year 2011. We now have 20 of the children back at the orphanage and the rest of the 21 back with their grannies in different villages.

PERFORMANCE:

The general performance of the children has been average and there is much improvement in all areas considering of their last year’s results and so many public holidays brought about by the general elections that our country has just come out.

CHALLENGES DURING THE TERM:

As an organization we have faced challenges of paying the bills of the school requirements and fees as always we do have insufficient funding and yet have a large number of children needing sponsorship, from a few of the children’s sponsor, some have declined their commitment to sponsor their children and so leaving a very big gap. There has been gas prices dramatically shot up, the organization has find it very difficulty managing the children welfare, meeting medical care, as all commodities prices has gone really high .
We have debt of $325 towards the fees of the children for this ending term. Please pray.

CHILDRENS HOLIDAY PROGRAM:

The children will be involved in sports and games and also Sharon is planning to have the music project going on with the children and they will be practicing singing and drama as we wait for funds to do the recording. We also plan to have a holiday study program for the children and we need $150 for buying the study materials for their holiday so this will make them active and able to revise for better performance next academic term.


ABOUT CHILD SPONSORSHIP:

Out of the 46 children under our care, 5 children have got individuals sponsorship, leaving the majority of the 41children without sponsorship and so this is a very big challenge unto us as we struggle every term to raise funds towards their tuition fees, medical care, feeding etc. Therefore it is our daily prayer to ask every friend of ours to pray and consider if you can sign up to sponsor a child or ask a friend or also share this with your local church if they can stand in prayers with us.

Children receiving clothes and other gifts from Stephanie and family from Canada.





HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
Working with Children is a concerted effort, Just like an African saying! It takes a whole village to raise a child! It needs multiple hands to be put together and ideas, so the orphan crisis does not belong to those with orphans but it is everyone’s problem


We appeal to volunteers, medical teams, social workers, mission boards, and any other who might be interested to bring teams to visit the project area here in Uganda. Many opportunities exist for short term or long-term volunteers.

WATER WELL PROJECT:

The past three months have been challenging but on the other view such a blessing, Have you ever thought of something so impossible to happen but then God tells you nothing is impossible before me, It was last year when an over estimated water bill was given to our orphanage and water was disconnected until we paid for the debt, I and Sharon shared the problem with Stephanie and Dawn , beloved Stephanie got touched immediately she learnt of the news and she donated $300 towards that water bill and that was sort, But Dawn prayed and heard the LORD convicting her heart and she prayed about funding towards digging a water well. It was during mid February Sharon received an email from Dawn, saying she has saved enough $$ to help fund a water well, Have you ever been so happy that you cried? Well has happened to both of us, God works in a mysterious way that as I speak a water well has been dug, which is not just under our use but also serving the local community people around us in the village.
In the middle, Director Micheal carrying baby Jethro and his wife Sharon and water company team.












HOSTING VISITORS:

For the last three months God has brought 4 people visiting our base, we hosted Katarina and Barbara from Slovenia, also Sara from Minesota US and Kin from Australia. They stayed with us and played with the children and we took them around Jinja town and the source of the River Nile and Bujagali Falls. They appreciated so much for our hospitality and promised to raise awareness about our organization when they are back in their home country.
We have known these people through a site called Cough Surfing.







A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR: We thank you so much for the generous heart towards The river of life ministries for the help you give to the needy children through paying their tuition fees, feeding, medical care and other additional basic needs. On behalf of The river of life ministries it is our prayer and humble appeal that you come and see the work you are supporting here. You are doing a very big work to support the vision and it would not have been possible for us here to deliver the services without you, therefore it is of great importance that you come on the ground and see what your generous support do, for it is not a simple work!


NEXT TERM,S BUDGET:

We need school supply and tuition fees for Bugulusi Primary School, Nakanyonyi Primary School, Minani Primary School and Nakabango Primary School. 46 children are under our care and a list of 40 desperate children pending and need urgent rescue. Additional 200 children needs school supply.

No Activity Qty Term 2 Total in UGX Total in $
1. School Supply 2,898,000Ugx $1318
2. Tuition fees for both primary and secondary 13,800,000Ugx $628
3. School Uniforms for 54 children 1,840,000Ugx $837
4. Supply of blankets/mattresses/bed sheets delivered to 50 children 4025000Ugx $1831
5. Provision of medical services 1,400,000Ugx $700
6. Feeding costs 1,500,000Ugx $750
7. Soccer balls, Netball,Volleyball, Basketball/ for the childrens sports and games. $150


8 Grand total 25463000Ugx $6214

NEXT TERM:

All our children will be commencing next term on the 23rd of May 2011. We are required to send them to school on the first day of opening as normal studies will start immediately on this day.

May HIS grace which is sufficient for all be with you and family.