£20,000 raised for Ugandan children’s home!

Richard Ward and colleagues Toby Howcroft and Debbie Young recently returned from their second successful working trip to Uganda where they gave eye tests to hundreds of adults and children resident in the remote village of Nkokonjeru in Eastern Uganda.

Following last year’s trip we made it our mission to help raise £20,000 needed to buy a new 4-wheel drive vehicle for the Providence Children's Home in the village.  This was desperately needed so that sick children could be transported to and from Kampala and the crucial medications collected that many of the children need to survive (20% of the children have HIV).  It would also provide the Home with transport to sell some of their homemade goods in
Kampala, including hand woven baskets and hats, thus providing much needed income.

In less than a year we achieved this magnificent goal, raising the full amount with the help and full support of the Ugandan Children’s Trust (UCT) who claimed the gift aid on the money we raised and made a substantial donation of their own.  There were donations from organisations like the local branches of Rotary International and Inner Wheel, together with dozens of individual donations from our own customers.  Debbie Young ‘cajoled’ many of her friends and relatives to raise funds through events like quiz nights held as far afield as the Isle of Man!

Richard Ward comments, “Sister Veronica and her fellow catholic nuns who run the children's home are thrilled to have the new vehicle, which really will make a big difference to the whole village.

Sister Veronica and one of the young resident's of the Providence Children's Home in the village, standing by the donated Toyota Hilux.

“Of course the main reason for our visit was to set up our equipment stored from last year's visit and start treating the long queues that quickly formed!

“During the five days we again managed to give eye tests and treat hundreds of villagers and it was very gratifying to see so many of the villagers wearing the spectacles we had dispensed last year.

“Our trips to Uganda are hard work but we can honestly say that because we can help so many sick and disadvantaged adults and children, even in just one small part of Uganda, it’s the most satisfying thing that Toby, Debbie or I have done in our whole careers”.

Richard Ward Opticians have been to Uganda before, Click here to read about previous trips.