Please find here information, news and photos from Gaba and Bethany in Uganda from the visit from 29th June - 7th July 2006
For the latest update and photos of our Orphanage please click here UPDATE
The team from St Thomas More School, St Lukes Parish and Sawtry Collage left from Uganda from St Thomas More School on Thursday 29th June at 2pm. Their flight was at 7.30pm and would see them fly through the night to Africa.
The team arrived in Uganda at 5.30am (local time - 2 hours ahead of the UK) on Friday morning, 30th June. We were welcomed at the airport by Moses and travelled from the airport to a guest house.
We then arrived in Gaba and were welcomed by Pastor Peter outside the Gaba Community Church
We then took ourselves and all our bags by boat across Lake Victoria to Bethany Village. Here we were welcomed and met a group from Dundee. We stayed in Bethany until Saturday lunchtime. We had a tour of the village and visited the foundations to the new orphanage - these had been completed and it was ready for Monday morning building!!
Returning to Gaba on Saturday we went shopping for the community in Bethany - we went to a supermarket in Kampala to buy some of the items needed for the community to help with their monthly budget of £1400.
On Sunday we were welcomed to Gaba Community Church and our team was welcomed. I was welcomed as the first Roman Catholic Priest to worship with the community in Gaba. The service was full of worship and praise, lasting from 10am - 12noon. It was a wonderful experience and everyone was full of joy.
After lunch we went to visit a craft market in Kampala where one of group was ready for some retail therapy...
On Monday we returned to Bethany to start building our orphanage - and laid the first bricks, blessed the foundations and helped the team of builders.
We also visited the school at Bethany. We have and continue to find a warm welcome everywhere, also many many needs for so many people, especially the children.
The people here are so thankful for all your support and prayers.
On Tuesday we visited the Kindergarten in Gaba and spent the morning with the youngest members of the community. In the afternoon we met with Pastor Emmanual from Bethany to find out more about what was needed to be done and how we can help in the best way possible. Fr John also met with Pastor Peter from Gaba and shared ideas about the use of wind and solar power, also about the need to have Bethany in contact with Gaba by mobile phone and the internet.
On Wednesday visited the new Clinic in the morning. This is a wonderful project but they do need more staff and more training of the staff.
On Wednesday afternoon Fr John visited Sr Dympna (a Franciscan Missionary Sister for Africa) who has worked in Uganda since 1949. Also Fr John visited another Signpost Internation Project at Bweyogerere where funding has made it possible for a primary school (with day and boarding children) to develop.
On Thursday the team had a day away on Ngamba Island visiting the Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Friday 7th July - We will remember them, as we remember today those who lost their lives last year in London today we journey home from Uganda.
