Goodbye 2020

 

Happy New Year! 

As with most of the world we're pretty ready to say goodbye to 2020! Although this past year didn't go as planned, there are a lot of things we can be thankful for, like our family and everyone we work with in Uganda being healthy! We are also incredibly thankful to have the best co-workers who truly care about the community of Kibaale, they worked so hard from day one to adapt to restrictions and changes to make sure everyone was being cared for as well as always. 

We are also proud of our kids for adapting to a year that did not go as planned. They had great attitudes, worked hard on their school and quickly jumped in to be an extra set of hands when needed in Kibaale. 

The hardest part of the year was being on the other side of the world from Joel and not knowing when we'd be able too see him again. We were overwhelmed with how everything did finally fall into place though and we were able to fly to Canada at the end of September. 

We arrived in Vancouver but had to quarantine for 14 days, this photos was taken on our first day out of quarantine when we were able to hug Joel and go outside for a walk! 

Joel proposed to Courtney soon after we arrived, he wanted to wait until we were around to celebrate with them! We are so excited to welcome Courtney into our family, they will be getting married in July! 

Our time in Canada was spent in the cutest little town, Fort Langley, which is where Joel attends university. He lives on campus but it was so nice having him just a couple minute drive away! The COVID restrictions changed a few times while we've been here, but we're thankful for the time we did have with family and friends and that we were always able to go for walks! 

Our kids started rock climbing at a gym nearby while we've been home and that has been such a gift! It is something that is fun but also really challenging; there is a group of friends that they are able to meet and climb with and it has stayed open through all the restrictions and changes! 

Snow in Fort Langley on the first day of winter! 

Love seeing these 4 reunited, we are so thankful for these few months here! 

We are preparing to return to Uganda in a few weeks, and it's always bittersweet. Leaving some of our family behind is hard but we are feeling refreshed and ready for this next season in Uganda! Schools are slowly reopening there and that is what we're most excited about, seeing a full campus in Kibaale again! 

So goodbye 2020, we are very much looking forward to a fantastic 2021! 

Kibaale Health Centre III

We are so excited to have finished the major renovation to the Kibaale Clinic, it is now officially operating as a Health Centre III! 

Even with the slight delay due to the COVID pandemic we completed this major renovation and construction of new buildings in just 11 months! It is already such a blessing to the whole community of Kibaale, we are so thankful to Village Church and the generous Golf Tournament fundraiser that took place in Canada last August! 

One of the most exciting decisions that was made early on was to buy as much of the supplies locally as we could. We also hired 120 workers from the community of Kibaale, many of those older siblings or parents of students from the school! By employing people from Kibaale and by buying local supplies first, this project put $350,000 right into our own community.

Let's go on a tour of the new Health Centre!! 

This is the original location of the Kibaale Community Clinic, which still exists as a day clinic although it was expanded and renovated. This building also has the reception for the whole health centre and our laboratory; which now has an upgraded digital microscope that is especially helpful in diagnosing malaria and a brand new CBC machine! 

Rebecca in reception

Brand new open air waiting room

Renovated Pharmacy

Brand new digital microscope

Covered walkways from the clinic to the overnight ward and maternity unit

Towards the maternity unit

Jeff and Dominic, our construction manager have worked very hard over the past year completing this project, but even before construction began they were working on the plans, meeting with our medical team and X Architecture to design the entire Health Centre! 

It was very exciting when we could start cleaning and moving beds in! 

The midwives had a lot of control over setting this up and have done a great job! 

One of four labour suites

Our friend and one of the teacher's at Kibaale Primary School, Miriam, was the very first to give birth at the new maternity unit, with twins which is so special!! 

Babies are pretty much my favourite thing ever so this was a very good day!! 

There have already been more than 30 babies born at the new maternity unit! There are very few safe, clean places like this for women to give birth in this region of Uganda!

Walking back towards the overnight ward and the health clinic.

The overnight ward building also has a staff room, storage rooms and then a male, female, and children's ward. 

We've already had more than 100 people using the ward since it opened on August 3rd!

You can see in this older photo above the building with the roof that is a different colour is the only existing building. 

Here are the buildings all complete! 

Opening the Kibaale Health Centre has been years of dreaming, praying and planning, to see it complete and being used every day is overwhelming and a huge answer to prayer.

 We are extremely thankful to Village Church for choosing Kuwasha as the recipient of the Golf Tournament last year, to everyone who so generously gave and was involved in that event, to everyone in Canada who has helped with the plans and a very special thank you to the amazing staff in Kibaale who have been working so hard to make sure that this is built well, within budget, and on time.