OUT OF THE BLUE!

Well, after a very long pause, here we are again... Life in Kisiizi  has been very full on and the blog got put to the back burner for an extended period so thanks to those of you who have continued to remember us and for your encouragement...

Moses

But its been worth it as so much has been fitted in to the past months so let us give you some highlights... but first to encourage all who can to get to Friends of Kisiizi Day on Saturday 7th October to be held at Brookside Church in Reading with Moses Mugume, our senior hospital administrator, as Guest of Honour.
See www.kisiizihospital.org.ug for more details.

Moses is over for a month on a Commonwealth Fellowship based in Chester and his diary has already filled up I think!


We came back to UK as usual to help with the annual Christian Medical Fellowship Developing Health Course at the beginning of July which, as usual, was heart-warming as we interacted with a range of impressive speakers and participants and heard about many healthcare projects in a variety of resource-poor settings around the world.  The mix of practical skills workshops, lectures, seminars etc works really well.

We also met up with friends who had worked recently in Kisiizi:  Dr Amy and Midwife Ruth...

with Mark and Ruth in Crete

Then we had a week with Mark and Ruth and an amazing last minute holiday to Crete which was lovely and, unlike most of the Mediterranean, not excessively hot but just right.  We were all very tired so essentially crashed out for the week which was therapeutic!

Hanna with some of the van Mameren family...

We were able to then help Ian's mum when she was discharged after a hip replacement, and then we went to Holland for a week to see Dutch family relatives which was lovely and included a van Mameren family gathering. We really appreciated the warm welcome and also caught up with friends from the past.

We have fitted in a range of talks about Kisiizi to different groups and individuals and done a fair bit of hospital business meeting up with potential workers and sorting out exciting things like bank accounts - groan!

Had a couple of days up in Keswick for the convention and to enjoy a quick glimpse of the beautiful lakes... once again bumped into old friends, meeting up with Diana with whom we had worked when first in Kisiizi in 1987 when she was there as a nurse.  Her husband Johnnie has just been appointed as Principal of the Oak Hill Theological College in London so that will be a big change for them next year...

So what about Kisiizi?

We welcomed our new Bishop, Benon, with his wife Gladys to Kisiizi when he came to chair his first Board of Governors meeting. In the photo is Moses Mugume in the centre.

Kisiizi continues to serve the poor who are mostly subsistence farmers.  There has been a lot of concern with the weather as we have had long periods without rain when it should have come and then recently flooding due to excessive rainfall.  This puts crops at risk, and no crops means no food and there is no safety net so people go hungry.  We still treat a lot of children with malnutrition which in turn makes them vulnerable to all sorts of infections.  At least now we make KisiiziNut on site as a ready-to-use therapeutic feed which is a great help.  The Good Samaritan fund helps to pay for very poor patients so Kisiizi continues the tradition since it first opened in 1958 that it never turns anyone away.

Repairing the hydro-electricity circuit illuminated by Hanna!

We have been spoilt with reliable electricity that we generate on site but recently had a period of challenges when there was a major fault in a transformer and circuit board so it was cold showers for a month and cooking on charcoal.  But we are so grateful for our Kisiizi Hospital Power Limited electricians and team with wonderful support from friends of Kisiizi in UK who offer prompt advice and financial help with the costs of spares and the transport to get them out to Kisiizi.  THANK YOU TO ALL INVOLVED!

The photo shows Hanna next to the police helicopter that landed on the Kisiizi Primary School playing fields in May when Dr Diana Atwiine the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health came to open our new Ahumuza Centre for patients with mental illness.  This was a landmark occasion as the centre is the first of its kind in a rural area anywhere in Uganda and a testimony to the compassion for the vulnerable that Kisiizi demonstrates in a variety of ways.
see the hospital website for more photos and details www.kisiizihospital.org.ug

Then in June we had the opening of the Kisiizi Falls tourism project supported by United Nations World Tourism Organization (the only project in Uganda to have this link!).  All the proceeds from the tourism go to help the Good Samaritan Fund.  We have had around 7,300 visitors in the first 7 months!

Coucal at Kisiizi Falls

Kisiizi Falls monument unveiling the plaque

Kisiizi Primary School children in traditional dress to welcome the Guest of Honour

There are a range of attractions at Kisiizi Falls so see

www.kisiizifalls.com

for more information.







One high-adrenaline feature is the SkyTrail three-stage zipline where the final stage runs high above the waterfall...

A national broadcaster in Uganda recently produced a short TV report on Kisiizi Falls:

TV video clip

Ian has recently given a presentation in a Webinar organised by Uganda UK Health Alliance and this can be viewed on YouTube on the link below:

Webinar presentation


We travel back to Kisiizi on 14th September and look forward to the next phase...

thanks for your support and encouragement!

Ian and Hanna