Rainy season has started here in Uganda which is a great relief to many people as there has been five months of dry season.  Many of the Ugandan’s have struggled with crops that have failed due to the lack of rain, so it is good to see a change that will bring food to many hungry people!  In the city, we are not as affected by this, but many of the villages, especially up North have been struggling and living off what food aid is sent in.  Of course the rain and thunderstorms can make flying a bit more challenging, but it is still refreshing!

Amy is doing much better and the incision she had is almost healed.  She has one more doctor’s appointment on September 16 to confirm that this is actually healed properly and we are hoping she will be released then.  We are aiming for her to leave on the 21^st of September and she has been busy packing to get ready for the trip.  Amy’s Mom and a friend will be coming with her to spend some time here in Uganda and to help with the kids.

Recently some of our staff went to visit Kaabong which is one of the airstrips in the Northern part of the country next to the border of Kenya and Sudan.  MAF supports several NGO’s who are working there to provide basic needs and medical care to many of the Karamojong in the area.  They visited the local hospital where MSF (doctors without borders) have been working with the childrens ward including and ward for premature babies.

They also travelled by ‘road’ to the site of one of the four sub-surface dams that have been constructed by Medair. These dams are built under the surface of dry river beds that carry flood water on the few occasions it rains. The water then collects in the sand and soil upstream of the dam while the excess water carries on over the dam. The advantages of this system are that the water does not evaporate and remains in a clean usable condition for a long time after the rainy season. The Kaabong area has suffered drought for the last 4 years, yet there was water still available upstream of this dam.

During the visit both MSF and Medair told us that if they could not fly with MAF then their work in this remote and drought stricken part of Uganda would be too difficult. It can take 2 days for them to travel to Kampala by road – the flight takes 1½ hours. It would also be much more expensive with overnight stays for staff on the road journey and the cost of maintenance on the vehicles.

These are just a couple of the many projects MAF supports through our ministry here in Uganda!  Thank you again for your support and prayers to enable ministry like this to continue!