St. Francis Rehabilitation Centre
Soroti
St Francis Centre finds children with various physical disabilities, in need of corrective surgery , arranges for their operations at local hospitals, mainly Kumi, and looks after them and their education including vocational training to enable them to be confident, useful members of their communities .
FOAG first visited this Home for physically disabled children, near Soroti in NE Uganda, when it was situated in borrowed buildings at Madera. Now it has its own site at Pamba which involved putting up new buildings to house the children.
The Home is in the charge of Sister Sophie Akim who has energetically gone about this daunting task, which has also of course required outside funding. The Liliane Foundation, a Dutch charity for disabled girls, has provided funding for living accommodation for boys and girls in 2 splendid brick-built buildings. Another Dutch charity “Bake for Life” has provided a bakery which will give vocational training and, hopefully, an income to the Home.
FOAG sends around £3000 a year to this home for corrective surgery operations for the disabled children. Over the years FOAG has also responded to other cries for help from this home when they have had no-one else to turn for help e.g. when they had no food for the children etc ......especially when there was severe flooding in the area. FOAG has also provided mosquito nets.
FOAG has also channelled funds from other generous donors - Malvern College, Malvern and Colwall Rotary Clubs, Abergavenny Charitable Trust among others, to get a new kitchen and the first phase of a vocational training building built. This last building is already used for teaching tailoring as a vocational skill.
In 2009 ten village outreach clinics assessed 287 children. 49 children had corrective surgery, 35 children were fitted with walking devices and 55 children are resident in the Home who attend local schools . 56 other children are attending secondary school elsewhere.
FOAG has a good line of communication with the Centre and there is a well-established system of accountability and audit trail.
Present needs are :
- Kitchen equipment and fittings for the new kitchen building
- Funding for the nutrition under-nourished children and pre-surgery medication.
- Mosquito nets
- Money for surgical operations and associated walking aids, wheelchairs etc
- Mini bus/ ambulance
- Security Fencing
- A building for administration and physiotherapy assessment work
Project Co-ordinator: Betty Hudson
A retired farmers wife, Betty has been working with FOAG since its inception in 1981. She project co-ordinates St Frances Rehabilitation Centre at Pamba, Soroti with Sister Sophie Akim.
Contact Us
Sister Sophie Akim who leads this vibrant Community
Temporary Kitchen
Dorm Building
Sister Sophie Akim receives mosquito nets from Iain Patton
Treatment