Amecet outreach......

Every week we go on "outreach" as Amecet Ministry. Dominique, Emmanuel and me visit the local Prison and the Therapeutic Feedings Centre (TFC) in Soroti Hospital. In the Prison, we visit the women side, where also mothers with children stay. We started this weekly visit, many years ago. We got  a malnourished child via the social worker from the Prison. We took that child in Amecet, but then we saw that there were more children staying with their mothers in the Prisons. Some of the children were even born there! The children were not doing so well, their diet was poor and they were sickly. As Amecet leadership, we decided to do a weekly outreach to the Prisons. Every week we bring the mothers with a children, one kg. Sugar, one kg. Porridge flour and a bar of laundry soap. I think we do it now for more than 6 years. If there is a child which is really not doing well and there is no way that relatives of the mother will help, we do take the child for some time in Amecet. When the child is stable, the child goes back to the mother. We bring sometimes clothes for the children, bananas or oranges, we help sometimes with medicines and we bring them sometimes some toys. In 2014, we were able to build a small playground in the women section of the Prison yard and the children can play now.

At the moment there are 14 mothers with young children (between 0-3 years) in the Prison. the number changes every time, mothers are released and new ones are brought to Prison. We have seen a big impact from our small weekly gift. The children are doing well, but it is sad that the children are growing up in such a place.....

The second place where we go to every week, is the feedings centre in Soroti Hospital (TFC). There are mothers or caretakers staying with severe malnourished children in this centre. The children are referred by other wards or doctors, to TFC. They have to stay here, sometimes for months..... It is not easy for the caretaker to stay with the child for a very long time in this ward, often there are other children at home and they  are worried about them as well. There are often very sick children in TFC and it does happen regularly, that when we come and we ask about a child who we met there the week before, that we get the answer, that the child died.. The nurses ask us sometimes to admit a child from TFC in Amecet, we have a good relationship with the TFC personel.

We give the same packet as in the Prisons and the small supplement helps towards the healing of the child. They are always very thankful with the gift.

This little boy was very malnourished, he had oedema and was very sick. This week, he was so happy and smiling. The porridge flour, sugar and soap made him very happy.

This little girl is still very sick, the grandmother is caring for her and she was  encouraged by our gift.

This boy is doing also much better, he might even be discharged by next week, when we come again to TFC. One week there are 4 children, the next week 7 and after that maybe only 3 children. It changes every week. We sometimes bring some clothes or small toys. we pray for children and try to have small talks with the caretakers. We know that our visit gives them hope and encouragement!!