Teso Development Trust partnership in relief, development and mission

Teso News - Summer 2013, Issue 56

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IN THIS ISSUE OF TDT NEWS More wells being provided

Hospital improvements Tackling food insecurity

Supporting Church Mission

Kumi Hospital’s management team with Martin Harrison

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FROM RESCUE TO RECOVERY

In the last two years, the Teso people suffered badly from flooding and the Churches and aid agencies - including TDT - helped with food aid and other relief such as mosquito nets. This year, we are pleased to be able to focus our resources on development projects of all kinds to help strengthen the community and build a more stable society. You will read here of good progress in some of these that show the commitment of the Teso churches to renewal and reconstruction of their region.

I talk about the work of Teso Development Trust to all sorts of people. They like the fact that we are small and focused and people can see where their money is going. They also see specific projects come to fruition that meet clear needs.

We are also a friendship network between Teso and UK churches and people. This is seen in the series of visits that have been taking place and are planned. It means we know who we are supporting personally. Our partners are not an agency good at getting aid and writing bids but friends we know and have enjoyed meeting.

Our small scale means that we have limited funds (and low overheads) and cannot mount big scale promotion campaigns but depend on the financial and prayer support of a fairly small number of people. We value your support so much, therefore, in helping make further progress in the renewal of the Teso people.

We look forward to meeting some of you at the AGM on Saturday 28 September at St Luke’s, West Kilburn, and at other events around the country this year.

Dave Watts Administrator

MAKING PROGRESS

More clean water In 2012, we funded 12 wells and 3 boreholes for about 12000 people, executed through the Pentecostal Assemblies of God thanks to grants from Wilmslow Wells for Africa, Spring Harvest, The Drinking Fountain Association, The Allen and Nesta Ferguson Trust and donations from supporters.

In 2013, we have a similar sized programme in Soroti and Serere and have funded 4 projects through Wilmslow Wells for Africa, 3 through the Charles Hayward Foundation and a well each by the Roman Catholic congregation in Cheddar, Somerset and Chawn Hill Church, Stourbridge. We have also funded 6 water harvesting projects in schools in Amuria with the Church of Uganda. On 25th June PAG confirmed that 4 wells are already complete and one is under construction.

PAG has identified 4 other well projects and 3 boreholes we have yet to fund. We are happy to

receive funds for a named project and to supply donors with a report and photos demonstrating the big difference a source of clean water makes.

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Helping the Hospitals On 15th January, Martin and Elaine Harrison set off for Kumi Hospital where they worked, until the end of March, with Dr Ruth Obaikol and her team to improve the financial systems of the hospital. (Martin and Elaine are Management Consultants offering their services voluntarily with expenses paid by TDT and Kumi Hospital). The programme went so well that they have gone out again for a further 3 months to continue their input. A key task is to install a computerised payroll system for Kumi Hospital that will revolutionise the management of the pay of its 140 staff.

A wide range of new investments have been identified that will further improve the impact of the Hospital which is

gradually changing its role. Up to now, it has been a medical centre offering direct access for everyone. Now, it is becoming a hub for the network of medical centres in the Kumi area. The local clinics are the first port of call for people seeking medical help. The clinics assess the people’s needs, and if they are able, Kumi Hospital teams will treat them on the spot. They will be taken to the hospital if they need more treatment or surgery. This is obviously more effective and gets better results.

We are working with the hospital to further support this vital change. One key need is better transport. Another is selective investment in certain services.

Eye treatment needs significant improvement. A high proportion of Teso

Newly completed well at Opiyai, Acetgwen, near Soroti

people suffer (like us in the UK) from poor eyesight. Funded by the international charity Christian Blind Mission, eye tests are done and spectacles provided. These are, however, second hand spectacles supplied from the West – hardly ideal. We are working to kit out a proper optical laboratory that will be able to grind lenses and provide proper bespoke spectacles, potentially for many hundreds of people. Transport of patients is a problem. Some Ugandan hospitals have successfully acquired motorcycle ambulances that can collect patients from villages deep in the bush along tracks a normal vehicle cannot use. The current means is to load the patient on the back of a bike which can be very

harmful to the chances of survival. Kumi Hospital urgently needs better, safer transport and motor cycle ambulances are being considered.

The Trust has a fund for Freda Carr Hospital and we are now establishing one for investments in Kumi Hospital.

Kumi Hospital planning session

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Martin and Elaine enjoy a trip around the area

Feeding the hungry The G8 summit made much of the need to tackle malnutrition and food security in sub Saharan Africa. Malnutrition costs Uganda an estimated $899 million, leading to higher rates of child mortality, lower school attendance, loss of workforce productivity and increased rates of diarrhea, anaemia, respiratory problems and early death. 1 out of every 3 children are stunted in their growth, leading to slow development and health problems.

The need is to invest in more stable food production but also to produce crops with higher nutrition values and provide fortified foods to school children.

Translating this into action is the hard bit. As supporters will know we have been working on this for some years with TEAR Fund. The need to diversify food

growing in Teso and protect it against drought and floods is key.

Lucy Hefford, on a visit in April, was shown one of our food security projects in Gweri and found the farmers in the cooperative very pleased with the orange groves they had planted with our help. They have learnt to graft new strains of fruit and built a store. This helps widen their range of food and gives greater food security. Another success was the development of wood burning stoves which make much better use of available firewood and create less pollution.

TDT partners have imaginative and effective grassroots projects to tackle food security. Our need is

the funds to help make them happen.

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New orange groves in Gweri and (inset) orange store house

Saving money We all like birthdays and the women’s cooperative in Soroti celebrated the 1st anniversary of the Savings Associations in February in a typically Ugandan style.

There are now 17 groups with 438 members (108 men and 330 women). These are located all round Soroti and its rural hinterland, including two for Market traders, one nursery and a Church. The birthday time is the occasion on which members of the groups, if they wish, can have the money (and the interest) they have saved in the last year.

This scheme, which is taking off all around Africa, enables members to save systematically, be more resilient in crises and build up funds to grow businesses and pay education fees. Members are too poor to have conventional bank accounts.

More groups are being formed, not least because TDT renewed the funding of the development worker in March with a grant of £2500 to support a training worker. We also provided a computer so that the records could be handled more efficiently than by using hand written ledgers.

We will review progress later in the year and if it continues to steam ahead, we will want to find

the funds to further grow this highly effective scheme.

Top to bottom: Village Loan and Savings Associations

birthday party Children join in with the celebrations Community leaders with members of the

Savings Association

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Visit

www.teso.org.uk for up to date news and information

on all TDT’s work.

Training future Church Leaders The Churches continue to grow. The challenge for the leaderships is to train enough leaders to keep up the momentum and to disciple new Christians. All the Bishops we work with in the Church of Uganda and the Pentecostal Churches have training programmes but they are under resourced.

Key needs are to:

fund on the job training for the Pentecostal Assemblies of God pastors

support Lay readers training in the Church of Uganda

underpin the livelihoods of the leaders equip training centres

Recently, we have supported a programme in goat rearing for 100

PAG pastors, and supplied a dozen boxes of theological books and Bibles to PAG and the Church of Uganda. Some supporters help support leaders with finance, and recently one Church has provided a motorbike for one of the Church of Uganda clergy who has a very large parish to cover.

The Church of Uganda Lay Readers Training Centre in Soroti has been completing improved facilities and received teaching input for 2 months from James Green – an ordinand trainee at Cranmer Hall, University of Durham.

The leaders of the Churches are key people in its future health. We will continue to work with the Bishops to keep this help going.

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Church of Uganda students meeting Lucy Hefford in April

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Lucy Hefford visits the Takaramian Parent Managed School at Gweri which we have supported. They do a brilliant

job but badly need school books and further classrooms for the 670 children.

Publishing the Bible in Kumam The Book Event of the Year in Teso is in December when the newly completed Bible in Kumam will be launched in Soroti. This will be a wonderful event and means a large proportion of the Teso population will have all the scriptures in their own language for the first time.

Canon John and Jean Wheatley Price will be representing TDT at the celebration. The Trust has financially supported the work of translating the Bible into Kumam from the start with an annual grant of £1500 plus donations from supporters.

We are delighted that this has come to fruition.

BED NETS – A LIFE SAVER! On 10 May 2013, we were privileged to attend the National Launch of Long Lasting Insecticide treated Nets Universal Coverage Campaign and Commemoration of World Malaria Day 2013 in Soroti District, Uganda.

It was such a blessing to be in Soroti, as St Andrew’s Church has for very many years supported the work of the Teso Development Trust, and have often welcomed both speakers from TDT and Soroti Diocese. The Guest of Honour was His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who we were fortunate to be introduced to (and photographed with - see overleaf) at the end of the event.

This important day had been preceded by much hard work by different agencies – the World Health Organization, USAid, UNICEF and DFID, the UK Department for International Development, of which our son-in-law Daniel Graymore is head of office in Uganda and one of the speakers at the launch.

The aim of the campaign is to distribute 21 million bed nets across the country, thereby significantly decreasing the number of children under 5, and also

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pregnant women, who die from malaria. Over 6,000 health workers have been recruited to help with education to encourage people to use the nets. Nets have been known to be used for fishing, wedding veils and football nets, so education and prayer is needed to ensure people will make good use of the nets.

It is anticipated that in the future there will be less need to expand hospital facilities as people will be healthier, they will receive more education if they are not ill, and there will be more people to grow the economy if the death rate is reduced.

So on the green fields outside of Soroti town, under a clear blue sky and hot African sun, a hugely significant step was taken to combat the very serious threat of malaria, for which we give thanks to God.

Sheila and John Bayes St Andrew’s Church, Sidcup

Visit

www.teso.org.uk for up to date news and information

on all TDT’s work. You can also give securely online at

www.justgiving.com/tesodevelopment

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Note: TDT supporters have funded 1000s of bednets in the past few years through its relief programmer but the need is huge.

CYNTHIA MACKAY 1925-2013

Cynthia Mackay started work in Ngora Girls School in 1951 and then became Acting Principal of Bishop Kitching College in 1953, teaching many students amongst whom were future Bishops of the Church of Uganda. In recognition of the outstanding quality of her service,

Above: Sheila Bayes with Bishop Charles and Bishop Geresom at the conference

she was awarded the Uganda Independence Medal in 1962. In 1965, she returned to the UK to look after her father but returned in 1973 to work for the Uganda Christian Council, developing ecumenical RE teaching materials for schools and acting as the representative of the Church Mission Society in Uganda. She finally retired in 1984.

Jenny Ottewell a close friend described her as “a person who has taught me how to serve, how to be a friend and how to follow Jesus”.

Cynthia was a keen supporter of the Trust.

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New Lay Readers library at the Training Centre at Soroti. Florence Erwau, the Bishop’s wife, shows off the new facilities and the new books donated by TDT supporters.

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TESO DEVELOPMENT TRUST www.teso.org.uk

Administrator Dave Watts B.A. M. Phil. MIED 24 Sandhurst Avenue, Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 0XL 01384 376494 info@teso.org.uk

Management Committee

Chairman Jim Sampson 2 Homefield, Cupernham Green Romsey, Hampshire SO51 7WG 01794 514722 jimandjanet@talktalk.net

Hon Treasurer Andrew Third 7 Manor Park, Ruddington Nottinghamshire NG11 6DS 0115 912 4350 Andrew@integracommunications.co.uk

Hon Secretary Clement Dixon 64 Musters Road, Ruddington Nottinghamshire NG11 6HZ 0115 921 1565 clement.dixon@ntlworld.com

Dr Hugh Mason Catherine Emaru Florence Odeke Philip Good Dr Peter Walker Lucy Hefford Christine Moyes Dr Frank Guinness Website and publicity: Stewart Hills

A Registered Charity 1005139 HMRC number XN84557

Visit

www.teso.org.uk for up to date news and information

on all TDT’s work.

You can also give securely online at www.justgiving.com/tesodevelopment

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THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING We look forward to contact with many of you and invite you to the 2013 Annual Meeting at St Luke’s, West Kilburn, in West London on 28th September, commencing at 10.30am with coffee.

FUNDRAISING We are more than happy to support your fundraising with our leaflet – as many copies as you

want a PowerPoint explaining TDT a DVD of some of our projects extra copies of the newsletters - as

many as you can use a speaker from the committee Contact Dave Watts by email or phone (see right) and discuss how we can help.

PRAYER Occasionally we produce a prayer letter emailed to any one who wishes to use it. Please let Dave know if you would like one.