Celebrating the first anniversary

of our maternity clinic

 

 

 

Today, Friday, November 27^th, is the first anniversary of our maternity clinic.  We provided refreshments for the staff and for all who came for care.    



Because we had torrential rain, many in the villages were not able to attend.

JoAnn with her namesake, Lamara JoAnn

Fran can't get over how much Chris has grown!

Dad brought his son to celebrate!

 

 

We have been able to accomplish so much through the hard work of our staff and through the generosity of so many people. 

We would like to share some of our statistics with you and also show pictures of important people who have passed through our doors.  We know Lynne would be so proud to have our clinic carry her name, the Aber Lynne Maternity Clinic at St. Mauritz.

 



A collage of many of the children born at the clinic.

 

During this year, we have had 987 pre-natal visits from mothers.  We have had 146 births, and we have had 806 post-natal visits.  We have also had 28 referrals to the local hospital due to complications.

When analyzing why our birth rate seemed low, we found that birth rates in other medical facilities are down; we speculate that women are getting such good pre-natal care at our clinic that they feel like they can deliver the baby at home; and finally, it costs about $5.00 to deliver their child and many women just can’t afford that cost.

Besides the numbers, some of the things that we are most proud of include the following:

·  That family, friends, community, colleagues, and generous benefactors have helped build and support our maternity clinic.

·  That we are providing quality health care to mothers and their babies.  We have been recognized by government officials as having an excellent facility and program.

·  That we have the service of three mid-wives who are on staff full-time, so we can have twenty-four hour coverage.

·  That one of the mid-wives has assumed leadership of the maternity clinic and the out-patient clinic.  These clinics will serve mothers and babies long after our sisters are gone.

·  That we are able to identify potential problems early so that we can make referrals.  We also have an ambulance to transfer mothers if necessary.

 

·  That we have been able to provide education for our mothers, particularly around the issues of nutrition and hygiene.  Patients are urged to come to the maternity clinic if ever they experience any complications.

Today, as Pope Francis visits our country, we pray for each of you, that your lives will be filled with peace and meaningful endeavors that make a difference to others.  That is what you have allowed us to do.  God bless you!

 

 

 

 



Through the Eyes of a Newbie - Part 2

Through the Eyes of a Newbie- Part 2

November 6, 2015

Greetings from Gulu!  Besides being new to Gulu, I am also new to blogging!  I have great admiration for Pat who knows how to create blogs in her sleep!  So, I decided that before I forget what I learned, I better put my skills to work soon! 
I am fairly adept at photography so I will also try to give you a flavor of Gulu through pictures.

On our way to our gathering with the Water Women, we passed by fields of magnificent sunflowers.

When we had our first training for the Water Women, they brought along some of their children and their friends.  They thought it was important for many of them to hear about the importance of clean water and how to use the water filter system.  One of the Water Women's daughter dressed in her finest to cheer her mom on!

 

Today we had our second training.  This was the largest group of women that we have trained so far.  There were eleven of them who came for training.  They decorated their buckets for the filters and then raised them for all to see.



This Water Woman decorated her bucket with teddy bears and flowers.

Thought you might also enjoy seeing some pictures of some of the children who will be benefitting from having the filter systems...thanks to your generosity.

 

 

 

 

 

From the serious to the mundane... last Sunday, we all decided that it was time for our hair to be cut... so, Jo cut Pat's and mine, and Pat cut Jo's.  The last time I tried to cut someone's hair, it was almost the end of a beautiful friendship!!!  Reminded me of the times my dad would line up all the boys in our family for their haircuts.... lots of kidding went on!

 

Currently, we are enjoying the company of Ron Atkinson.  Ron  has authored several books and his most recent is The Roots of Ethnicity:  Origins of the Acholi of Uganda.  He is staying with us while he is working on land issues.  It's so nice to have a man around the house!

As we were going into the villages, we came to a home where the family had received pigs from Sister Jean Abbott.  Not only was Bernard able to raise the pigs he received, but he has been able to pass off some of the offspring to his fellow villagers.  Here is a picture of Bernard, his wife, Dolphine, and their daughter, Rita, along with his pigs and the pen he built for them.  Bernard is a good friend of our community and often helps with our driving.





 

 

Time to bring this to a close.  Again, we thank you for your on-going support!  It is a privilege to be in Ministry here.  God bless you.