My first trip to Uganda changed my life. Having grown up in the lap of luxury I never could have imagined that others actually lived this way. When I was young I remember my mother telling me to eat all the food on my plate because there were starving children in the world. I don’t think that either of us truly knew what that meant until I travelled to Uganda.
I was shocked and overwhelmed by the poverty I saw everywhere. The most heartbreaking sites for me, however, were the children. We drove through a village in Jinja while touring at the Source of the Nile. Children ran to our car in rags, wanting to have their picture taken. It was right there and then that I decided that I couldn’t leave that country until I found a way to help the children.
Situated in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa and astride the equator, Uganda is a lush and fertile country with spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. Winston Churchill rightly described it as the “Pearl of Africa”. Like most African countries Uganda has had its share of problems. HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant challenge. Since the epidemic began, some 1 million Ugandans have died. Nearly half of the estimated 2 million orphans are orphaned due to AIDS. While the country won praise for its fight against AIDS, the disease has been devastating. Uganda has the highest proportion of children orphaned by AIDS in the world. Out of the 27 million people in Uganda, approximately 14 million of them are under the age of 15. With a per capita income of between $1,100- $1,300 annually, Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Close to 18 percent of school-aged children are not enrolled in school. Those who do manage to go to school rarely stay past primary because they have to support their single parent families or raise their younger siblings. The school dropout rate averages 66 percent and approximately 6.9 million adults are illiterate.
CFPC is now in a position to bring lifesaving AIDS medication into Jinja town as well as other remote villages and towns throughout Uganda. Adults and children with HIV need this regular and continuous medical therapy to prevent the onset of AIDS and live normal lives. Without this medication, and in the conditions in which many of them live, their health will decline quickly.
Dvora Rotenberg
Executive Director, Canadian Friends of Pearl Children
Richard Gilman April 16, 2012
Dear Dvora
I am a member (not chair) of our St Peter and St Paul’s Anglican Church Missions Committee (see church webpage). Over the year, many letters and appeals are forwarded from the church office to our MC for info or action. A few months ago yours was one of those received relating to the work being done in Uganda. For me personally, it looked interesting to look into in more detail. Since your Cdn Friends of Pearl Ottawa office on Somerset St seems fairly close to our church at 152 Metcalfe St at Gloucester, I wonder whether you could fwd or contact us in providing for further information regarding the work that your organization supports and how you are funded. Perhaps you might be interested in addressing our committee in the future.
Our church mision is “transforming broken lives into world changing disciples” (one by one and also including ourselves)
I can be reached at home by this email address or 613 837-6778
Richard