Max is a mini-man.....

Yesterday a car came to Amecet with 5 people and a very small baby. They were all uncles and one auntie. The baby was born 4 days ago, the mother started to bleed and they brought her to the Hospital in Soroti, in spite of all the efforts, the mother passed away yesterday.

The baby is called Max, but he is a real mini man. He is a premature baby, his weight is only 1.6 kg. He is so small and vulnerable , he needs warm water bottles and special care!!!!

 This is our nurse, Deborah. She is taking very good care of Max and instruct the other staff members about the care for him. Today is the burial of his mother, we pray for this little mini man and ask you to join us in prayer for Max.

We are very full at the moment, I think  with 28 children, we have the most children at the same time since we begun. This picture is from  the baby room with the smallest children. In total we have 12 babies, van 3 days old up to 5 months. 

Then 9 children from 6 months up to 5 years and 7 children in the age 11-15 years. 

As you can see, there is a lot of work and care to do! Please pray for our staff, that we stay alert and see the things we need to see and that we will not too busy to give the babies a cuddle and a hug.

Born in the bush.....

This little baby was brought yesterday morning by the Police to Amecet. he looked okay, his weight was 2.7 kg. There is of course again a sad story behind:

The mother is mentally disturbed, she was travelling through that village. But she was tired and asked a local family if she could rest there. They saw she was pregnant and brought her to the health centre and she got treatment there. They gave her food and shelter, to rest a bit before travelling further.

Saturday morning very early, the mother gave birth, alone in the bush, nearby the place where she was resting. After giving birth, she came back in the hut and slept. A bit later someone went outside and heard a noise, he found the baby laying in the bush. They took the baby to the health centre to check and later also the mother. The mother denied that the baby is hers, doesn't want to see the child, she is planning to travel on. They tried to get more information from her, but she talks and makes no sense.

We called the baby Benjamin, he is a cute little boy and looks healthy, he drinks well and we pray that we will find relatives or otherwise a good foster/adoption family.

Three new children in Amecet....

This morning, we planned to go to Soroti hospital with Topista and Nathan. So at 9.15 am Esther, Peace and I drove to the hospital. We first went to the orthopedic section. Topista has a club foot and we are going every Tuesday for new plaster around her leg.

We have been there for at least 6 times, we take the cast of at home, to safe time, and they check her foot and put new plaster on.` Today they were going to give a small cut in the tendon and than put plaster for 3 weeks.

At the same time Peace (staff) carried Nathan, he is a boy of 1 year and 10 months, he came to Amecet very malnourished and he could not sit, he gained 2 kg and now he is able to sit, but he can't hold anything in his hands, he is a bit spastic, we took him also to orthopedic before and we were referred to the physio therapy. There they said we should first work at his malnutrition and then come back. So today we went back!!!  They showed Peace the exercises we have to start doing with Nathan. They have hope that he will walk, after time...... Esther was still waiting with Topista, Peace was learning the exercises and I got some phone calls. The social worker of the hospital asked if we had space. There was a baby born with a Cesarean operation, the mother had died that night. Then I got a phone call from Simon, he had two small children in the car, Probation office referred them to us, they were abandoned by their mother, Concerned neighbours brought the children to the Probation office. Simon was on his way and asked if he could bring them to me in the hospital. So I drove home from the hospital with 3 new children, the staff was surprised, but were swinging into action.....

 Daniel and Margaret were in need of a good bath, clean clothes and food. After all that was done they could smile and they were happy. One of the staff brought them to their beds for a nap and they were so happy in their nice clean bed.... 

Baby Philip also got a bath and a bottle. They had only fed him with some sugar water. When I did the intake with the father and the grandmother, they told me that it had come very unexpected. The mother had the Cesarean operation, which went well. But after the operation she got problems with blood pressure and she died 12 hours later. They were now rushing back to the hospital to get transport to bring the body back to the village and to bury. They were very thankful that we were willing to care for the little baby. Philip looked good, but was small, his weight is 2.2 kg. Our nurse, Deborah, took the new children all to the doctor, to be checked.

So we had a busy day, suddenly 3 new children in the house. It is good that we can be there for those little one's. Amun home is getting full, but we are doing well and the renovation work in Amecet home is also going on well.     I pray God for the strength and the health to do what comes on our way....

4 children re-united with their families...

This month September, we were able to re-unite already four children back home. We are so happy that the children were received with smiles. They all came to Amecet because of difficulties in the family, and now they are able to go back and grow up in the midst of their relatives!

 Julius had been brought to us in the beginning of June. His mother had passed away after the delivery and Julius was a very small, tiny baby. We had problems in the beginning, he didn't want to drink and we had to feed him by NG tube for a while. We posthoned  his going home for a couple of weeks, because when he started to pick up, we wanted to be sure that he was continuing in that way. But on September 2, the grandmother and the father came to pick him. Look at the beautiful smile of the grandmother when she received Julius out of the hands of Esther! She will love him and that is for us also good to know.....

Moses is a different story, he was brought to Amecet on 24.1.2016, he was 12 days old. The mother was in Soroti hospital and was very sick. They even feared for her life, the baby was with her in the hospital and it was very hard to care for him there.

We took him into Amecet and cared for him there. The mother got better, at a certain moment they brought her back home, in the village. But she was paralysed and still not able to care for Moses. We tried in the family, but in vain. After some visits to her in the village, the mother agreed to have him back, she had now enough support from people around her to care for Moses. Simon brought him back to her on 2/9/2016. She was so happy, she had not seen her child for almost 8 months!!! She is much stronger now and there is support for her and Moses from the people living around her. 

 Peter was picked by both parents on 7/9/2016. Peter has been with us for just over 2 months.Peter was 1 month old when he came in Amecet. His mother had complications after the Ceasarian operation  and was very weak, She was admitted in Soroti Hospital and again needed to be operated. So there was a need to care for the little baby. He has been sick a bit, but did very well in Amecet, now the mother is ready to care for him and also Peter is ready for going home, he gained more than 2 kg and is a friendly smiling boy!

And today went Abraham back to his family! He was 1 day old when he came into Amecet, 2 months ago. The mother died after giving birth. Abraham was born at home, but the mother started to bleed, they tried to rush her to the hospital, but she died on the way. So sad, Abraham was brought to Amecet and the family tried to pick up their life again. The grandmother will help the father to look after the children. She is holding Abraham on the picture and the auntie and an older sister to Abraham, joined them.

It is a joy to see children go back to their families, that is where they belong, we are happy to help in a time of need, but the best place is HOME!

ps. it is also good to have some empty beds, we got 2 new children last week and there is one baby on it's way to Amecet, right now. The Probation officer called to ask if we have space........

A babyboy, weighing 700 grams only....

Yesterday, I was working in the office, someone came to call me, and said that there was a very small baby outside. I left my work and went to see the couple. The mother was holding a blanket, I looked in the blanket and I was not prepared for what I saw. They had told me a small baby, but this was a very, very tiny baby, those you see in pictures which are taken from the baby still in the womb....

The baby was born the day before in a health centre in the village. The mother was only pregnant for 5,5 month and had gotten malaria. This triggered the early birth of the baby... They discharged her yesterday and referred her with a letter to Amecet, for help for the baby.

I took the baby to our medical room, for weighing, only 700 grams, and I tried to get the temperature, the baby felt cold, but two of our thermometers couldn't get the temperature.  We got an extra blanket and a little hat (which way much to big). 

Esther and I talked together, we felt that this was too much for Amecet. This baby was so vulnerable, it needed a doctor around. I called one of the doctors from Soroti Hospital and he confirmed it. We explained it to the parents.  They looked confused, they had wanted us to care for the baby, I felt personally, that they had almost already given up that the baby would live. I understood that it is easier (?) to let the baby behind in Amecet than to go to the hospital and being with the little man all the time. But we went all together to the hospital, this little man deserved all the chances he could get.  

 The doctors looked at him and the nurse put a cannulla in his little tiny vein, she only tried once and she was in!!!!! Amazing! The little boy could not suckle from his mother's breast, so they were giving him a slow IV line and the following day they would start giving him breast milk, via a NG tube.

He was brought to a special (very) warm room, where more little, premature babies were, together with their mothers. He was layed on a warm bed and a heather above him. The mother had to stay with him in the room, the father was going home, to their other children and was suppose to come back the next day. I felt still some resistance with the parents, the mother was still weak from the delivery and the father had many concerns and worries. We bougtht the  IV medicins that they needed for the baby and  left some money for food and drinks and promised to come back the next day.

When I came in Amecet this morning, I heard that the mother stood on our doorstep this morning at 6.45 am, In her arms she was holding the body of her little son Joseph......

Why do I write about this....... I am not sure, it really touched me and I was yesterday again so touched by how vunerable this little baby was, at the other hand I was touched about the beauty of this little baby, only 5,5 months in the the womb and he was so beautiful, yes, so tiny, but so perfect!

This little man, Joseph, has been fighting for his life for almost 2 days, in very primitive circumstances, 

This blog is a tribute to Little Joseph, you have fought well, now you may rest in the loving arms of Jesus, 

Rest in Peace!!!!