Tuesday 15 April 2008

NO NEW CAR FOR ME!

It is now 5 weeks since I returned from my amazing experience in Lira, Northern Uganda.The time there went so fast and since arriving home it has moved at an equal speed. I sat back this week to look at and assess what had happened and been achieved during the last 9 weeks.I was amazed, excited, emotional and suddenly I felt exhausted One Step at a Time is now registered as an

International Non Government Organisation (NGO) in Uganda.We are also well on the way to submitting our request for charity status in the UK.This will enable us to claim back the Gift Aid tax on all of the past donations and to apply to major funding bodies here and abroad.
Thanks to all you fantastic people we are almost half way to reaching our target of £6000 to enable us to start building our own property. I was unaware of Lianne's determined efforts whist was away and I would like to say an enormous thank you to her, to Keighly and to all of you who contributed so generously to that cause.

To enable that project to move on, I have personally invested a sum of money to purchase a plot of land in Lira 125 x 65 feet. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would ever own land in another country but this is what happens when you really believe in something.

I will be donating it to One Step at a Time and hopefully claiming back around £600 in Gift Aid for other use. No new car for me this year, I will have to get the sander out on the rust.

In Lira we are renting a property with 4 rooms and storage within a good compound.3 staff, Moses, project co ordinator, Isaac, social worker and Lillian, housekeeper, manage the project and are working hard to make it a success. 40 street/orphan/vulnerable boys and just 2 girls are fed twice a day. They are being taught how to cook porridge for breakfast and beans, veg, rice, and twice a week, meat for dinner.On the street their meal was whatever others threw in the skips or what they could buy form collecting scraps of metal or empty bottles to sell for a few pence.

They are now able to:- -

Wash themselves-
Drink treated water-
Clean their teeth-
Wash their clothes-
Eat twice a day-
Dress appropriately-
Shave their heads-
Draw their experiences-
Receive Counselling and love-
Feel cared for and safe during the day-
Be loved and feel part of a family
What they cannot do yet is sleep safely and that worries me. I had established a place but the woman rented that for more money and we don't have so much money in these early days. The search continues.....