Rotarian Richard Mewhinney from the Newmarket Rotary Club came to visit our club and update us the project in Ongutoi, Uganda.
Ongutoi is an isolated community is in North Central Uganda, approx 7 hours from Kampala. Hence medical care for the people in this area was poor to non-existent after the LRA were expelled from Uganda in 2005. For example, pregnant woman who needed maternal care were forced to walk 20-30 km to the nearest medical care. Some 10% of women would die in child birth. In 2010, Rotarian Richard along with HAGCM undertook to build a basic medical center with the support of the Newmarket Rotary Club, Richmond Hill Rotary Club and others.
In the intervening years, and with Richard’s persistence, dedication and eighteen trips to Uganda, the Medical Centre is completed and providing services to thousands in the area.
Richards newest endeavour is a water project to help locals grow fruit for a local fruit processing plant on the site of the Health Centre. Revenues from fruit grown will be used to ensure that the medical center would have on-going stable funding to provide free health care long term. Including the Richmond Hill Rotary Club, 12 different Rotary Clubs, many in Canada, and one each in Australia, the UK and Uganda helped fund this water project.
View the video below to see how your support of Rotary fundraising projects is making a real differences in the lives of so many people.
Thank you Richard for all your hard work and dedication!
