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The Potter's Village - Newsletter


Welcome to the latest issue of the Potter's Village Newsletter.

Issue 3. 2021



In this Issue

Virtual Celebration morning - 18th Sept '21
Fundraising - 15 years of Hope & Growth
Cows!
COVID - 19
Well deserved retirement
New babies
Children moving on
Building Work
Piglets!
Please pray for us




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Virtual Celebration morning - 18th Sept '21

Friends of Potter's Village are holding a Virtual Celebration Morning on Saturday 18th September 2021.

For FREE tickets - Click on this link

The Trustees decided this year would have to be a virtual gathering due to the ongoing risks of Coronavirus, but this event will be a fantastic way for us to join together to celebrate the wonderful work happening in Kisoro. 

The morning will start at 10 am for approx. 2 hrs. 

Programme

Introduction and Welcome - Rosy Martin (Chair of Trustees)
Prayers - Festo or Idah (Potter's Village)
Medical Centre - Dr Nicci Maxwell 
Child Crisis Centre/Overview - Idah Kyarimpa (Administrator)
Rehab Centre for Children with disabilities - Janie Robson
Q&A

Coffee break - approx. 10.50am

How it all began - Revd. Canon Jenny Green (Founder)
Launch of the 15 years fundraising campaign
Engaging people in volunteering - Debbie Drew (Volunteer)
The value of child sponsorship & regular giving - FOPV Trustees
·Q&A/Final roundup/thanks - Roland Miller (FOPV Secretary)


Fundraising - 15 years of Hope & Growth

Hope for Growth - Giving children a hope filled future

On the virtual Celebration Day we are going to be launching a Fundraising campaign, to raise £15,000 towards the funding of the Child Crisis centre. It is 15 years since the building work began in Kisoro to build the Child Crisis Centre and we would like to celebrate those incredible years as well as raise money to support the next 15 years. 

Join us to celebrate the Child Crisis Centre in the six weeks after the Celebration morning. Involve your church, family or friends. Bake cakes; hold a coffee/craft morning. Do a sponsored run, walk, cycle or mountain climb! Be inspired and help us raise our target of £15000.

Please sign up to be a fundraiser via JustGiving


Cows!

We now have two cows at Potter's Village they are doing well and producing a good quantity of milk for us.

 

 

 


COVID - 19

Report from Idah (Potter's Village Administrator)

COVID-19 has had a big negative impact on Kisoro Community as general and specifically to the Cathedral and Potters Village.
Since March 25th when lockdown started in Uganda many businesses and other economic activities were closed and generally there was no money in the community, we have seen many go without food. Our Churches are still closed.

It has also brought a negative impact in some homes demonstrated by a high level of domestic violence, moral deterioration especially among children and the youth.

Potters Village, has been affected due to the closure of the transport network and curfews, many staff are having to sleep on site. We have not been able to carry out our community support work and the families of our resident children have not been able to visit.  The number of patients drastically dropped due to closure of transport means and general decline in the economic activities.

However June saw the easing of lockdown and things are beginning to open up again.  Transport is limited and expensive and our borders are still closed.  We continue to pray for this situation and for the families who need our help to be able to get to us.


Well deserved retirement

Two of our members of staff retired in August.  Deo, who has been at Potter's Village for six years. He came after his retirement from a government hospital.  His job was to establish the Medical Centre Laboratory which his has done so well and he has trained up two lab technicians to follow in his footsteps. He was such a valued member of the team.

Petronella also came to PV after retirement from a government job. She worked as a Midwife for just over 3 years and was really excellent and popular with the women attending the clinic. She also worked alongside the immunisation team offering postnatal care and advice for women.

We were happy to give them both the gift of goats on their retirement and they both enjoyed their party.  We thank you for their service to this community and wish them all the very best for the future.


New babies

These are the babies who have been admited to Potter's Village in the last few months. 

Tim & Tom – only at PV for 2 weeks, were several months old and have moved to SOS Entebbe as they were abandoned

Stuart was born prematurely, on 24th April. Sadly his mother died soon after from an intracranial haemorrhage. He was initially cared for in the Special Care Unit at Rugarama Hospital in Kabale before arriving at Potter’s Village at about a month old.

Lambert was born on in April and admitted to Potter’s Village a month later, the day after his mother died.

Judith was born in May and admitted to Potter’s Village a few weeks after. Sadly, her mother died at some point in between, but it is not known why.

Jemimah was admitted to Community Support in June, aged 9 months, following the death of her mother in a motorbike accident.

Esther was born by Caesarean section at the end of June but her mother died shortly afterwards, so Esther was admitted to Potter’s Village the same day. Her mother, Enid, had been a baby-carer at Potter’s Village some time ago.

Charles and Betty arrived at Potter’s Village on 23rd July, following the death of their mother soon after their birth.


Children moving on

Ingabire was a short-term admission in April, aged 18 months, because her mother was very sick at Kisoro Hospital and had been referred to Mbarara but there was no one available to take care of her. She received treatment for her malnutrition before going back to her family in May.

Laban had been admitted in May soon after birth due to his mother’s psychiatric illness. She received treatment and recovered well so that Laban was able to join her at home in May.  When living at Potter's Village, he was known as the best clapper whenever they were singing and was considered to be the ‘choir leader’ at Potter’s Village!

Blessing went to live with her to her paternal aunt and grandmother in June.

Sarah had been abandoned and her family never found so in May she was transferred  to SOS children’s home in Entebbe.


Building Work

There have been quite a few building projects on site recently.  We are thankful that both the nurses changing room and consulting room are finished and are now all in use.

This is a picture of the new septic tank, which is also completed and the builders are just finishing the soak away pit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Piglets!

One of our four resident pigs has just give birth to eleven piglets! Her litter are doing well and we are pleased to have so many to support the project going forward. Some will be kept and some sold when they are old enough. 

 

 


Please pray for us

We thank God

  • For the children and staff who have remained free from Covid-19. For the recovery of the staff member who has had Covid
  • For Dr Nicci and the Clinical officers for their hard work and strength
  • There is a big improvement in the health of the mothers who have psychiatric illnesses.
  • The commitment of the PV staff to their work.
  • For the building work on the septic tank
  • For Petronilla and Deo who retired last month

Please pray

  • That we continue to find funding and support so that we can continue to save the lives of those who need us the most
  • That we can continue the fight against Covid-19 and that there will be more vaccines available soon
  • For strength, wisdom and compassion for all staff, at Potter’s Village, and particularly for the Rehab Centre whilst Janie (physiotherapist) is away
  • For Janie to be able to return to Potter’s Village soon.
  • The health of children and staff at Potter’s Village.
  • For unity amongst the staff.
  • For Idah (Administrator) and Board of Governors as they manage Potter’s Village
  • Friends of Potter’s Village, that they will continue to have sufficient income and for good stewardship of donated funds.
  • For the FOPV virtual Celebration morning, that it will be successful and enjoyable event, helping to bring community to supporters of FOPV
  • For the Hope for Growth fundraising appeal in the autumn.