Justine's Ugandan Orphan Fund
Justine was interviewed by CBC a few weeks ago and her 20 minute interview was broadcast nationally on CBC radio Saturday morning Dec. 31 - check it out on the CBC website http://www.cbc.ca/inforadio/.
When one of my young sisters, Lydia, passed away in 1999 at the age of 26 years she left three very young children; Philip, Esther and Elizabeth. Her husband followed (passed) few years after. As an older sister, and as the custom in Uganda dictates, I took on the financial responsibility to assist the children with their education, health care and basic needs as much as I could. My mother, a housewife with no source of income, under took the day-to-day well-fare and responsibilities of these children in addition to her own young children. At the time when the children were much younger, I felt that their needs were manageable and I made every effort and attempted to support them by myself, in additional to supporting my own family here in Winnipeg; but as the children grew, I have come to realize that their needs have also multiplied beyond what I can manage by myself. This task has indeed becoming increasingly daunting.
In 2004 one of my brothers passed away. A month later his wife passed away and followed my brother to heaven. At that time I was too overwhelmed and I felt the increased pressure of being an older sibling (albeit I am not the oldest), than I was at the time due to my increased responsibilities and undertakings. It was at this time that I became concerned about what was killing my family; not wanting to believe that it was AIDS. This is when I found out that all of my family members had died of HIV/AIDS.
My brother and his wife left four orphaned children, who also fell under the care of my mother and, an addition to me for financial support plus other inevitable well-fare expectations. While the family was trying to grasp and make sense of the tragedy that was befalling our family, we also had to think ahead about what would became of the still-young children of my deceased family members. My sister, Lydia's, youngest child was medically examined and thankfully was found to be HIV- free and healthy. Unfortunately, Lyton, my brother's last born, had contracted the HIV virus and she continues to live with the virus. Lyton requires medical supervision, and HIV/AIDS drug regimen, both of which are not free in Uganda. Again, the financial responsibility fell onto Justine to support my now new orphaned nephews and nieces. At that point in time, with my own immediate family and personal responsibilities, and as the sole financial supporter for my parents, I was greatly overwhelmed and had surpassed my means; I could not continue to fully support the needs of my nephews and nieces.
With a strong desire for my orphans to continue their education, and to support Lyton to have the required medical treatment, in addition to wanting and trying to have the children live as close to a normal life as possible, if nothing else, I turned to the only extended family I had here in Winnipeg, the members of Regents Park United Church and my close circle of friends for some support in the matter. I told my friends in the church about Justine's orphans in Uganda. The congregation, the youth group and Sunday school plus a few of my friends outside of the church answered my call for help and through them the Justine's Ugandan Orphan Fund was formed. Through the support of Regents Park United Church, now newly known as St. Mary's Road United Church, (SMRUC), income tax receipts are issued for donations to Justine's Orphan fund. The church has been generous enough to allow Justine's Orphan Fund to receive any donation of $20 and over and the church provides an income tax receipt at the end of the year.
In summer this year (2011) I received a call from one of my teenage nephews, Brian. He was sobbing and he asked me, "Auntie you have not known yet"? My heart sunk as I was scared to ask, but before I could ask, Brian told me: "Auntie my dad was killed". I was frozen in shock. That state of shock persists to this day - perhaps it is due to his sudden death, or the inhumane way in which he was killed, then again, perhaps it is due to having heard the shocking news from my deceased brother's teenage son, with all his innocence about what had just happened to his father, who no longer was - perhaps it is all the above. I am not sure when or if I will ever move passed this state of utter shock and deep loss for my dear brother. I had talked to my brother, Robert, just the weekend prior, and now, just like that, he was gone, gone tragically and senselessly!!! Robert was my junior brother, that is, he follows after me. Robert left ten (10) children with a wife who is a stay-home mother. Robert was killed on his way back home, from taking his daughter to school. Ten children; this thought leaves me nearly speechless and feeling near helplessness.
If I thought seven orphans were more than enough, now I have seven PLUS ten; seventeen (17) children to support and care for. God help me, because I do not know how to go about it and yet the ten are my responsibility too. Sometimes, and with deep guilt, I cannot help but think, "I wish I had a way out of this immense expectation and responsibility which has somehow found and chosen me to take it up". I think, "even if I want to be involved, I have far surpassed my own personal resources, and do not have the lone capacity to take on this responsibility." However, I cannot ignore the deep and passionate desire and will that continues to burn inside me, that pushes and urges me on to continue and take on this added responsibility; one born out of a tragedy that was not any of my nieces' and nephews' doing. Therefore, with the thought of all 17 orphans looking up at me for guidance, care and their welfare, I am whole heartedly, and humbly appealing for any and all well wishers who desire to lend a hand and make whatever minute difference in a child's life, for any support towards my 17 nieces and nephews. The children need their education and their basic needs to be met. They need me, they need us, and they need you. You would, and will be amazed at the difference you can make in a child's life, now and towards their future, simply by having their basic needs met.
My arrangement with my seven orphans was that I will educate each one of them up to and including high school, because with education in Uganda, elementary/junior and high schools are not free and parents are responsible for almost everything, from school fees, school supplies and equipment, and school uniforms. However, it certainly breaks my heart to have to stop their education journey at the high school level, particularly, because some of these kids are very bright with such evident potential for the future, if only they had the means to continue forth. My longtime good friends, Jackie and Ken, whom I've known for many years through SMRUC responded to the fact that the children would not go beyond high school. Jackie and Ken skipped their time at their summer cabin by giving it up for rent for two weeks to raise funds to send Phillip (my late sister's older son) to college for a certificate program in computers. Phillip completed his certificated program.
For donations to Justine's Ugandan Orphan Fund, which an official Tax receipt will be issued for $20 or more, there are opportunities to continue supporting the children with donors sending a cheque made out to St. Mary's Road United Church and write 'Justine's Ugandan Orphan Fund' on the memorandum line. Cheques dated in 2011 will receive a receipt for that tax year. Please mail your donations to St. Mary's Road United Church, 613 St. Mary's Road, Wpg. MB. R2M 3LB. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely, Justine and Evelyne Kiwanuka