Little Daisy enjoying a Banana

Dear friends

As winter draws near for you, we have just entered the hottest time of the year where the   sun shines bright by 8.OO a.m. The wind blows gently bringing joy and happiness but at the same time it  makes people see the importance of Trees which provide cool shades and act as  air conditioner.

This morning as I walked in the compound looking for some fresh air , I saw a little boy called Moses Ochan 5 years old, lying helpless under a mango tree in the compound.   His mother Joyce Aloyo , a woman living with disability, sat helpless near her son with a 2 year old daughter Daisy Aber.   They all looked unhappy indicating something was not right.

The trio  caught my attention and  as I moved closer to them, I found the boy was feverish and the mother was helpessly sitting near him.  One of the sisters took the boy to the nearby hospital for a blood test for malaria.  It turned out that he was not only having malaria but  was very anaemic too.

As the mother moves with her son to hospital, I asked her to leave the little Daisy under our care because she could not manage to carry the two kids on her wheelchair.    Daisy touched my heart when she heard me requesting  the mother to leave her behind, she quickly got up and ran to hold my hands.  We walked together  to the house and I found out she was hungry and needed something to fill her little stomach.  As I gave her two bananas, she walked out immediately to take the second banana to her brother.  I wonder how this young kid reasoned about sharing wih her brother who was also hungry, but it touched me.

I recall Mother Teresa saying that the poor know how to share…………

The mother rides her wheel chair with the little Daisy in front every day coming to St. Monica to do some work for which she would be paid to sustain her family.  I started seeing clearly that this woman struggles a lot to ride on bad roads but has no choice.  She must move with her children every day because she cannot leave them alone behind with no food and care.  My temporary disability helped me  understand the struggles and sacrifices this woman and many people living permanently with disability go through in order to make ends meet.

An exciting thought came to my mind that we can now make the life of this woman a little better beacuse the Tree of Wisdom is growing and spreading its leaves and branches rapidly.  I am so excited that we are going to include the two  children on our adoption program.  They can find shelter, food and medical care especially provision of mosqitoe nets to fight malaria.   The mother has started working on necklaces as part of her job.  Thanks to all who make us go a long way to bring hope to children and their helpless mothers, and grandmothers.

After planting the Tree of Wisdom, a good number of friends took up the work of watering and adding manure to it with a lot of  committment.  Thank you so much for your good and dedicated work.  HAVE YOU VISITED THE TREE OF WISDOM SINCE A WEEK AGO?  IT IS A MIRACLE, A MIRACLE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is growing more leaves and stronger branches daily to support the children.   THIS IS THE  POWER OF SHARING AND A DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!

Thank you friends for your great support which has made this dream come true in the lives of children who lack the basic necessities for a healthy growth.  Thanks for your generous sharing with these children in Northern Uganda.  We hope to send you pictures soon.

God bless you all

Sr. Rosemary

5 days later…..

Sharing can become  heavy when it causes pain in our hearts but however much we keep it, we have  to find a way of sharing it with those who care.    I have been wondering  how I could share this hard fact which became part of us for the last one week.  Sharing pain with those who suffer  makes us go a little further to question the reasons behind the pain and sufferings, it means we must not only stop at listening but  move on to do small things with love to remove some causes of suffering due to injustices.

Today we are sharing the painful story of 5 year old Moses who was admitted last week in Hospital.  Moses struggled with malaria, malnutrition and anemia.  The last time we visited him in his hospital bed he was more helpless.  Two days later the mother who is physically challenged carried her helpless son away from the hospital where he was less attended to and  sitting on a motobike (Boda Boda) they arrived  in St. Monica’s compound again looking for help.

We rushed Moses and the mother to Lacor missionary  hospital with better management but unfortunately, he passed away in less than an hour.

I will  not forget that sight which reminds me of the pain the Our Lady the sorrowful mother  might have gone through as she held her beloved son in the  arms,  portrayed by the famous artist Michaelangelo.

The mother of Moses is heart broken and like any other mother losing a child, she is still desperately mourning her son.  Daisy has remained with the sisters since then and the mother looks more worried about the little girl as well.  I ask you to remember this woman and her daughter Daisy in your prayers.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 says there is appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. I think this is the time to value the Tree of Wisdom which will give hope for the children.  It is not just to lose a child at 5 years to malaria and malnutrition, but there are so many children who do not reach even five years because  of this  preventable disease.   Join us to do something to fight this injustices in the society by giving children a hope for a longer life.  Give the injustices which reduces the life expectancy of children.

…….this means, we must not  stop at listening but move on to do small things with love to remove the causes of sufferings in the world.  Give a chance to  poor children to grow and live through  the TREE OF WISDOM.

Sr. Rosemary

I want to write the story of Clara…

Clara is a devout woman who spent her time serving the Church as a catechist. As usual, catechists I know in our church do not have any salary, and Clara spent her time doing voluntary work in the Church. Sometimes they are supported by people who give them very little, just for survival. Both Clara and her husband lived a very exemplary life of a good Christian family. Her husband died, leaving her with many children who did not go far with their studies because they were quite poor. Now as a retired catechist, she acts as an advisor to the pastoral council, a widow and a grandmother. Clara looks after 6 children of her son and daughter who died. Sometimes Clara finds herself helpless when she cannot provide food for these children.

Clara represents all the grandmothers who suffer looking after orphans. It will be great to reach out with helping hands to some of these grandmothers. The Tree of Wisdom is a big dream come true in the lives of orphans and poor children who have no future because they lack basic facilities like education, food, uniforms, shoes, healthcare and others.

May God bless all our friends,
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe

Just a note: When Clara was given the opportunity to help her grandchildren through Tree of Wisdom, she chose one child of her daughter and one of her son to carry on for them. We are hoping if we have an overwhelming response, we may be able to help all of her grandchildren to have a chance at a future through education.