Dear Friends of Kagando,
Change happens….and often it is unexpected, sometimes unwanted, yet it is a constant feature of life and for anything to develop, change must happen. So, as we are emerging from the effects of the pandemic which no-one expected to happen 3 years ago what have we learned and what are we still learning?
- Gratitude: During the pandemic our supporters have continued to give and we are enormously thankful for people’s generosity which has meant that Friends of Kagando has been able to maintain its level of financial support for wages, equipment and other needs at Kagando hospital and in the community projects. We thank God that He has provided for the needs we currently support.
- Changes: Kagando Hospital: There have been some major changes and challenges at Kagando. The lockdown reduced hospital numbers dramatically, requiring some staff to be laid off. This has been exacerbated by the government recalling some government-sponsored staff and relocating them to government hospitals and health centres. Staffing and wages are a real difficulty at present although some new part-time specialists are having a really positive impact on the medical care.
Friends of Kagando: There are several changes in the trustees. Sadly, Rob & Jen Morris have had to stand down as trustees for health reasons although they will continue to be interested, involved and supporting Friends. Rob and Jen have been committed to supporting the work and ministry at Kagando for over 40 years and have a unique experience which has been invaluable for Friends of Kagando since its inception, and we thank God for them. Also, Helen Tuddenham our Treasurer for the last 7 years told us last year that she will need to stand down because of work commitments. Helen has done sterling work as Treasurer but has also helped us as a charity to develop our systems and policies to ensure we comply with the current requirements of the Charity Commission; she ended her role as a trustee on 31st Dec. 2022. Olivia Hamill (nee Corn) was married in June last year and has started a new post in Southampton so has also decided to stand down as a trustee. Livvie has always been a helpful, wise and valuable trustee and, with Rob, Jen and Helen will be missed.
We are very blessed that we have 5 New Trustees: Peter Candy, Peter Cheshire, Toks Plumptre and the new Treasurers (who are sharing this role), Anna Kingdom and Meryl Warburton. They all share our Christian values and experience and are bringing new skills and work experience which will be very valuable; we thank God for this wonderful provision for us. There is more information about the new trustees on the trustees page of the website.
- Expectations: We have to adapt to the changes we face but we continue to be committed to supporting the hospital management in the day to day running of the hospital as well as the longer term aim of completing the Hydroelectricity scheme. This will be one step towards reducing the revenue costs of the hospital and thereby helping in our ultimate aim of the hospital one day becoming self-supporting. Under-pinning these expectations is the reminder that this is God’s work and we need to follow His guidance every step of the way.
Ps 127.1: Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
We thank God for each and everyone of you, for your valuable, committed and sacrificial giving; we really appreciate your prayers and support. May God bless you,
Peter and Liz (Lunn)