Another successful trip - 2009

Another very successful trip to Iganga in Uganda was made by Daventry Friends of Iganga in June. Once again led by David Walsh and Peter Minhinnett, the group got down to some serious hard work!

The Maternity Ward at the hospital was cleaned up and painted making it a much better place for the mums-to-be. A driver has now been appointed for the ambulance, which Friends sent out to Iganga at the end of last year, and it is being put to good use, often heard rushing through the town to another emergency! Only minor maintenance work was necessary at the Clinic, but without a boundary fence it was disappointing that the Clinic cannot safely be used at night. It is hoped that Iganga Town Council will be able to erect a wall or fence in the near future.

Namunsaala Village Clinic, funded and completed by Friends and Villagers from Rothersthorpe, and led by David, is now operating effectively. The construction of the nurses' house was well under way and had reached roof level. With a living-in nurse when this house is complete, hopefully it will mean that even more use can be made at all times of day and night.

3 new water sources were protected plus 2 boreholes repaired, giving many hundreds clean water, possibly for the first time in their lives! This was done in conjunction with some health education through Water for Kids, who help to finance the water projects, for the newly protected sources, as this is so necessary to encourage the locals to keep their sources in good clean order. Friends and Water for Kids always work in close conjunction in Iganga.

Friends agreed that the tree planting project was going to hopefully provide work and revenue for the people in the area close to town, and a significant donation was also made whilst there.

Dave attended an Iganga Friends of Daventry meeting alongside 40 people from local schools and community groups. Many schools in Iganga are now linked with one in Daventry and these links are flourishing with benefits seen in both communities. Possible future projects were also discussed.

This all suggests that a significant amount of work was achieved in 3 weeks in June, but rest assured that all of the participants thoroughly enjoyed the trip and many are likely to repeat it in the future!

For further information, see the following articals:

• Julia's School Visits
• Testing Water Quality
• Tools for Self Reliance
• Mass Immunisation
• Church in Iganga with Caroline
• Richard's first visit
• Hajji's email
• Building works