Hope for Widows and Orphans of Uganda

I’m Lisa, a Certified Nursing Assistant from Minnesota. I am on the board of directors of Oromia Rural Health initiative and am an active member of Nikki Jackson’s newly formed Hope for Widows and Orphans of Uganda Ministry. Here’s a short summary of my experience with Oromia Rural Health Initiative.

Oromia Rural-Health Initiative has been a dream for the Minnesota Oromo/ Ethiopian immigrant community for four years.  In February 2020, our team, which included two immigrants, four Americans and 4 members from Uganda and Kenya, made the dream come true.  It took 3 years to raise money and donations of supplies.  

We spent 2 weeks traveling to remote communities where even basic medical care is unavailable.  We worked with medical staff and students from Ambo University to care for over 3500 patients.  
The best part is that with the donations we brought and a little education, we left behind a team from Ambo prepared to continue regular mobile clinics.  

This was my second mission trip like this.  It’s hard work and very difficult to see such great need and not be able to do much.  But we brought hope, and we left feeling confident that this was not the one and only chance these people had to get help. We always work with local health officials to prepare them to continue this work  I am so thankful to have had this opportunity once again. I can’t wait for our next trip.

This picture is our “pharmacy” at a school an hour’s drive beyond where the roads ended.  Our supply trunks were our only furniture on the bare ground under a tree.  People came from miles to see us, waiting for hours in the sun.  Please pray that COVID does not reach them.  They don’t even have a health system to worry about overwhelming.