 | | B.C. residents George and Tina De Ruiter with a Ugandan mother and child. |
ABBOTSFORD residents George and Tina De Ruiter faced
the harsh realities of life in Uganda while visiting projects of cbm Canada
last month.
Along with supporters of cbm from across Canada, the De
Ruiters welcomed the opportunity to see the difference their financial
support has been making in the lives of people who are blind or otherwise
disabled.
In addition to visiting eye hospitals in Kampala and
Tororo, the long-time cbm supporters witnessed children’s orthopaedic
work at the Kumi Hospital in northern Uganda.
The De Ruiters also visited children who receive
rehabilitative care in their rural homes from the field workers of Kumi
Hospital.
While visiting some of these children, the De Ruiters
met eight month old Jessica, who was born with club feet. Through
casts being applied every week for the first six months of her life, her
feet have now been straightened.
Since the De Ruiters have a nine year old grandson with
club foot, they were pleased to see cbm’s early intervention in
Jessica’s life.
“I was very impressed with the work being done by
cbm and the attitude of the workers is so positive and joyful,” said
Tina. “But I am very sad to see how the people live in this part of
Uganda. We also visited a little girl with Cerebral Palsy, but her mother
wasn’t there.”
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The child’s mother has to walk some three
kilometres to get water three times a day, so whatever time she has left
over is spent looking after her other eight children.
“That made me very sad,” continued Tina.
“I hope that I will be more thankful for what I have.”
Contact: cbmcanada.org
– Lindsay O’Connor
December 2008
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