Hello Everyone!
We have had a very busy few months and we are excited to share our developments. This past month we welcomed two volunteers from America- Craig Conard and Laura Corcoran. Craig is a sponsor of one of our children and Laura is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who has been working with the project since it started. They were able to engage in several activities with the children while they were here.
A special thanks to Karla Kensey who organized and donated materials to make reusable sanitary pads for the girls. Pads are very expensive in Uganda and most girls are not able to purchase them and must improvise with local materials. Some girls miss school when they have their periods due to lack of materials, so this was a very important project for the girls. Laura worked with the older girls to teach health education classes and then the girls spent several days sewing the pads by hand.
Craig Conard, who works as a pediatrician in Ohio, and Laura, who works as a nurse, spent a great deal of their time completing well child check-ups on the children. They were able to purchase medications for several of the children who needed them. A special thanks to everyone who made donations for medical supplies.
In addition to providing medical services, Craig took four of the children from Miryante on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Many children in Uganda never get a chance to see the animals that live in their own country, so this was an incredible opportunity for the children selected. The kids selected were Kangume Katherine, Anthony Kayla, Alex Mugisa, and Oliva. They had quite the time touring the park.
Another special thanks to Amanda Zurface and Jon Sill for their donations which allowed for us to purchase 72 jackets for the children to wear during the colder rainy season. Their donations were also used to purchase clothing, seeds for the vegetable garden, and food for the 5th year anniversary party with the kids.
Miryante celebrated its 5th year anniversary on August 15th. We celebrated with a mass at the campus and a big meal where all the children were able to have meat and rice. Thanks to everyone who has supported this project and allowed us to reach this point!
There have been several children this year who have graduated from the technical school and left the home. Many younger children have moved in to replace them, so there will be an update of children available to be sponsored on the website for anyone who is interested.
As always, we want to express our thanks to all of those who continue to contribute to make this project possible.
Together in Christ,
Miryante Management.