There are many situations in this country that you love, & some that are really sad. Our initial visit to the women at Kigo prison, was heart-breaking. It was 2 years ago, and the women had only one garment, ate one meal a day, many were digging in the fields but didn’t benefit from the vegetables & ate only posho & beans. They weren’t allowed to wear anything warm like sweaters, no panties were allowed & there was no income generation, to help towards buying medicine for the times they fall ill or to care for the pregnant inmates.

Now, after 2 years of constant visiting by our colleague Lukia, the situation is entirely different! Lukia spread awareness for these dire needs to a number of friends, and as she & we worked to see how to improve the lot of these dear women, it was awe-inspiring seeing how the Lord led step by step & dear friends gathered together to meet the needs.

Lukia received considerable amounts of fresian seeds, which develop quickly & richly. Soon crops of cabbages, tomatoes and carrots were flourishing. Women who had been eating only once a day could hardly contain when they were able to have such a healthy addition & variety to their meals. Mrs. Damani also generated huge pots and cooking facilities, cutlery and plates, which meant that meals could actually be prepared in decent time and they could even get a cup of tea every now and then.

All the meantime, Lukia has been concentrating on ministering to these dear women. Quite a percentage are actually innocent, and just happened to be near the location of a crime so were picked up as a suspect, only to find themselves with no funds to contact a lawyer, and simply sitting there till things get sorted. Some women did commit a crime, perhaps a violent one, but it’s been after years and years of abuse many times, and they reached a breaking point. Many have had need of help with bitterness. Lives filled with difficulties have left them with a lot to resolve, but prayer, concerned counseling and reading the Bible together have strengthened them and brought about the most amazing change in atmosphere. The staff are really caring, and now, after needing to petition some higher powers, the women have 2 meals a day, access to vegetables that they are growing. They have new clothes, have permission now to wear brand-new sweaters we brought, along with panties and sanitary pads donated every month. The entire atmosphere is growing into that of a concerned, welcoming family, who are trying to grow together, to enable each woman have a deep change, to be able to face the world in an entirely different light–now as part of the solution & not part of the problem as some had been before.

We are working on skill development and income generation items so will let you know how it goes

Uganda’s North East has been experiencing the worst floods in over 10 years. Hundreds of thousands of people are either isolated, or have needed to leave their villages to stay in Internally Displaced Persons refugee camps on drier ground.  

Working with our local friends, we gathered 3 tons of cassava flour, beans & malaria medicine, and a further 3 tons of brand new jackets, shirts, trousers & cute children’s clothes. The Minister for Disaster Preparedness arranged a truck and the moment we brought it to Soroti, the last area approachable by land, we were to proceed straight to a helicopter which had been pre-arranged to take us the last leg of the journey over the expanses of water to a camp in Katakwi that hadn’t received any aid since the floods started. Right before we arrived though, President Museveni arrived on a surprise visit, surveying the damage to the flood areas. Unexpectedly, the large military helicopter that had been arranged for us to use to fly in the goods, was suddenly needed to fly to Kampala.

 What a challenge! A truck with 6 tons of food, clothing and medical items, very needy & in fact desperate people only 50km away—but the road between us & them was broken with collapsed bridges in 8 places! It was time for a miracle. The UN were very gracious & would have allowed us to fly the goods in by their chopper, however it had been on loan from southern Sudan, so needed to return that very afternoon. We clearly needed God’s answers to our prayers!
The Lord showed us that He wouldn’t fail, and we found a boat, which didn’t look very big—wooden, long & narrow—that was run by a local NGO, the Pilgrims. We unloaded what filled the large truck into this unlikely long, very narrow deep boat & believe it or not—it all not only fit, it floated! Ha! We hopped on the top & traveled across the very broad expanse that passed along side where the road had collapsed in so many places.

The Katakwi District head administrator kindly arranged a large tip-truck to meet us on the other side of the boat trip to take the items all the way to Omoro camp, in Ngariam, Katakwi district–much to the extreme enthusiasm of the dear stranded ones there.

We were able to encourage them and pray with them to trust God’s hand in all that had happened, knowing that He would not fail to care for His own children. It was extremely touching to experience their total joy & almost unbelief that the food, medicine & brand new clothing items came right to their door in their hour of greatest need.