July 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

I had an incredible experience today. I was first introduced to Jinja Children’s Hospital in 1995 when Jackie and I first came to Jinja to start a home for dying babies. The following excerpt is some of what I experienced (This is in my forthcoming book):

Inside the building, I saw broken windows with jagged pieces of glass still intact in the window frames. Filth covered the walls and large pieces of ceiling were missing. Tiles were long gone from the floor and open and exposed electrical wire was within easy reach hanging down from the ceiling. The rancid smell of body waste and rotting flesh combined with vomit, medicines, blood, and African food made me so nauseated it took all my will power just to stay in the building. A shortage of beds forced Moms and babies to sleep on the floor and most of the occupied beds had no mattresses or any other bed covering. 

About 80 sick infants and children occupied the two general wards and were cared for by 1 doctor and two nurses. Almost all the children were under 5 years old and most were suffering from severe malnutrition in addition to hepatitis, measles, malaria, meningitis, and a host of other diseases. Most of the illnesses could have been easily prevented with immunizations and proper diet.

Recently, I returned to Jinja Children’s Hospital to pray over some of the children. What I saw was a completely refurbished hospital with new tiles and fixtures, and freshly painted walls displaying cartoon characters, numbers and letters. There was a freshly painted bed with a mattress for each child. An adequate number of doctors and nurses were present to assure proper care. The children I saw were sick but all were attended to by loving parents. The hospital was clean inside and out. 

The reason I shared this with you, is this was a turning point for me. It symbolized and marked an end to an old era of child neglect and starvation and began a new era of a different Uganda. Yes, there are still starving babies and children die of preventable diseases but Uganda is a new country and I am proud its growth and improvements.

The other day, a missionary friend called me to say she was at the hospital with an infant that needed care. The mother was “mad” and the father was unable to care for a child that small. Welcome Home took him into the preemie house where the child is receiving excellent care.  

Thanks to your prayers, Welcome Home staff and children are doing very well. The children are happy and healthy and are blessed to stay virus free. I continue to work on my book and help out where I can. We are still in lockdown so there are no English classes now. Thanks for your continued prayers.