I am standing in a circle of Ugandan men, women and children singing a lively Christian song. As always I am swept along by their exuberant and heartfelt worship and am amazed by their capacity for joy. As the song comes to an end and a new one begins, I smile to myself as I recognize one of their all-time favourites, and we are soon all vigorously joining in the actions of grabbing hold of the devil, shaking him and stamping on him, and rejoicing in God’s victory. As someone gives a short ‘thought for the day’ a small hand reaches up and grabs mine, and I look down to see the serious face of Faith, who looks about three but is probably nearer five. Then my eye is drawn to the other side of the circle where the diminutive but cheeky Robert, who as usual can’t stand still for a moment, is looking for distraction.

Glancing round the circle I see the members of the Cherish Uganda community, each individual doing his or her part to care for forty orphans living with HIV/AIDS. There are the five mothers who each care for eight children in a purpose-built home; the ‘aunties’ who provide practical support in the homes; the teachers who work in the school on site; the farm workers who sweat long hours in the sun to grow nutritious food; the security guards; the administrative team, including two social workers; and Rachel Parsons, the vibrant Canadian director of the project.

Sadness wells up inside me as I remember that our time in Uganda is drawing to a close and it will soon be time to say goodbye.

Our journey to Uganda began back in 2004 when, after doing emergency relief work in Bam, Iran, after the devastating earthquake on Boxing Day 2003, my architect husband Stephen decided to embark on a Masters in Tropical Agricultural Development at Reading University in order to equip himself for work in a developing country. Working abroad was not a sudden decision but something we had always planned to do after our three children had left home. Our youngest daughter was now at university and the time seemed right. Almost immediately after he had completed his degree, Stephen received a text from a good pastor friend of ours, which read, ‘We have just bought twenty acres of land in Uganda to build a village for HIV Positive orphans. We need an architect. Are you able to help?’ He replied, ‘Count me in.’ We were on our way.

I for my part love my work as a freelance copy-editor and was reluctant to give it up. Would my publishers be willing to work with me in Africa, I wondered? ‘Yes’ was the answer from the three companies I work most closely with, including Mike Conway of Bible Alive. It was a fantastic answer to prayer, especially as Stephen was working as a volunteer and we were relying on my income and personal support from friends.

Our first year in Uganda was spent preparing to build the first three homes for vulnerable, orphaned children with HIV/AIDS on the twenty beautiful acres of overgrown scrub and mixed woodland on the edge of Lake Victoria, halfway between Entebbe and Kampala on the Garuga Peninsula. In his design for the houses Stephen focused on simplicity and sustainability, including rainwater harvesting and composting toilets. The idea from the beginning was that the site should be an extension to the village in which it was located. In October 2007 the first house was completed and on 6 December 2007 the first children arrived at Akaloosa (meaning ‘fragrance’), the name chosen for our village, and were welcomed with open arms by their new mother, Mama Gloria.

We need an architect. Are you able to help?’
He replied,‘Count me in.’ We were on our way.The Cherish Uganda project came into being after Bev Murrill, at that time co-pastor (with her husband Rick) of Christian Growth Centre in Chelmsford, had been told by the CEO of Mildmay Hospital in Uganda, which is the country’s leading care provider for people living with HIV/AIDS, that orphans with HIV/AIDS could not be given the life-saving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). The reason was because this complex cocktail of drugs is only effective if the following three conditions are met: (1) the drug regime is administered at exactly the same time each day; (2) the sufferer receives a nutritious diet; and (3) lives in a stable, caring environment. In the case of the majority of orphans with HIV/AIDS, of which there are an estimated 110,000 in Uganda (the country has over 2,500,000 orphans: Unicef statistic), these conditions would not be able to be met. The sad reality is, in fact, that in Uganda those with HIV/AIDS can be the victims of massive stigma. In situations where resources are severely stretched and families are living on the poverty line, some consider it a waste to feed or educate those who (without ART) are likely to die anyway, and in the worst cases children suffer cruel abuse and neglect. It is these most vulnerable children that Cherish Uganda seeks to care for, in homes that mirror the traditional way of life as closely as possible.

Seeing forty energetic children running through the lush, leafy undergrowth of Akaloosa Village on their way to school each day, it is hard to conceive that some of them would certainly be dead by now if they had not come under Cherish’s care. Faith, who I mentioned earlier, was abandoned at Kampala’s main hospital; Rehemah suffered severe abuse when, after her parents’ death, she was left with members of her extended family who shunned her, resulting in severe emotional problems; sisters Mary and Prosie were among fourteen children being cared for by a loving auntie in one room, but even providing them with one meal a day was a desperate struggle. Each child has his or her own heart-wrenching story. Perhaps the most amazing story of all is that of Peter who was so weak and emaciated when he was discharged from Mildmay Hospital to come to Cherish that it was feared that he would die within days. His little legs were about the size of an adult man’s thumb. He is now a healthy little boy. It is often difficult to gauge the children’s ages as, without the care they need, their growth is severely stunted by the effects of HIV/AIDS. Incredibly, none of the children have suffered from severe illness since being at Cherish – a fact that has amazed the medical professionals from Mildmay Hospital who monitor the children regularly.

Some consider it a waste to feed or educate those who (without ART) are likely to die anyway, and in the worst cases children suffer cruel abuse and neglect. Cherish Uganda has bright plans for the future, including providing homes for more children, extending the school on site to take in local children as well as our own Cherish children, developing the farm to produce a cross-subsidy for the project, and working hard to take a message of hope regarding HIV/AIDS into the community. Many of the key roles in the organization have now been handed on to Ugandans, who under Rachel’s leadership are charged with cherishing children with HIV/AIDS and embracing with them ‘a future of promise’.

On our return to England Stephen plans to set up his own International Development Consultancy, building on the work he has been doing to provide advice, training and resources for NGOs and small businesses in developing countries, and I will happily continue my copy-editing work, grateful for constant power and a fast Internet.

We will both enjoy being close to family, especially our two little grandsons, and friends again. We will miss the wonderful Ugandan climate, the amazing house God provided for us on the shore of Lake Victoria with its incredible bird life, and the community of Cherish Uganda, but most of all we will miss the wonderful Ugandan friends we have made, for whom we have the greatest admiration. They daily have to overcome incredible hurdles, including poor health care, expensive education and lack of job opportunities as they struggle for a better life, but they remain positive and hopeful, constant in their belief that, however tough life might be, it is a precious gift from God.

For more about Cherish Uganda, visit www.cherishuganda.org