Kula Clinic

For the last 6 years Friends of Ebenezer Children’s Home (FOECH) have been helping Ebenezer Kisoboka Children's home (EK) with their general running and self-sustaining facilities. Richard Field is completely self-funded and works in Uganda for 3 months a year, unpaid. All our projects are supported by fundraising activities in the UK, including music concerts, tea parties and quizzes. Every penny made is spent on our work in Uganda.

So far we have given the home Bio Gas, rainwater harvesting, solar power, cows and chickens.  We have trained the older boys to make eco-friendly ISSB bricks, from which we built a kitchen and washrooms. We have built a large hut for communal activities. We have land for growing crops for sustainability where the children help with the planting and harvesting. We have renovated every room putting in floors and ceilings and plastering walls. Apart from the amenities and structural improvements we have seen new children arrive and as the older ones leave we have helped them start their own businesses and stand on their own two feet. We have also taken the children on a safari holiday which has left us all with great memories.

During this time we have learnt and seen a lot, we have a good understanding of the area and the people, we have learnt how to work in unison with them. We have seen the poor conditions people live in and we have seen their struggles. For example, whilst looking for orphans to come into the home we realised there is a much bigger need for children to be schooled from their homes. Many children are half orphans or live with their grandmothers. These children would have previously been taken into orphanages but this is not what is needed, orphanages should be a last option. We now have a new programme called ‘Triumph’ which is considerably cheaper to run and is supporting children with school fees, while living happily with their families. Should it become necessary they can be brought into the home, as a last resort. This keeps children in their natural environment and helps to support and improve local schools.

During our time working in the area we have realised our next step is to give the community a much needed modern, sustainable medical service.