How our funds helped the children

How our money helped the 70 children at the Nzirambi Orphan Talent Development Centre A Miracle When I first arrived at the orphanage, I learned that the orphanage had run out of money in the middle of December. The orphanage is sponsored by a church group in the UK, but there had been a problem with the Ugandan banking and the money got tied up for two months. They were scrambling to find funds to pay for food for the children and formula for the babies. Auntie Milly, who helps run the orphanage, says our money was like a miracle to them. I wired six million shillings (the equivalent to $3,50CDN) to them in mid December. If I had of known there was a problem, I would have sent money sooner instead of leaving it in a box in my drawer – as I did while I was collecting your funds. But the orphanage, I think, was too proud to ask. Furniture I was able to see first-hand how our money was used. We bought ALL of the beds for the youngest babies – our beds are distinguished from the others because they have been painted white. In the house where I stayed with the youngest babies, there are sturdy couches which we paid for. It means the women don’t have to sit on the floor while they are holding crying, hungry babies. It also makes the home feel more like a home. A young carpenter was working on site to build more of the couches for the other homes as well. Small tables were also purchased, along with plastic chairs for the homes. The Prisoners/ Agriculture One morning I woke up to find a line up of about 30 prisoners in yellow uniforms working in the field outside of my window. The orphanage sits on 30 acres of land, which they are working to develop and prepare for farming. The hope is that the orphanage will one day become sustainable and grow most of its own food, and maybe have some left over to sell. The prisoners were hired with our funds. They provide cheap labour and in return mass amounts of land was hoed and grass cut, ready for planting.