Good Samaritan | Amahaweuganda

The development of a vision.

In 2005 we met an amazing lady, Margaret, with HIV who had gathered up and was looking after orphans, many of whom had HIV themselves. And so a vision of building a home for these orphans was born. The building was to be called The Good Samaritan.

Money was gifted by Rev Val Turner and the congregations of Christchurch and St Mary's English Bicknor, in The Forest Of Dean, to begin building The Good Samaritan Orphanage. Work began in 2008

The need was recognised by Margaret and shared with the village, to support her identifying other vulnerable children for the Joseph generation (Young leaders of integrity). Margaret would be their counsel and guide.

However a fostering model was developed in the community meaning that all orphans would be living in families, would be in school and would become the responsibility of the whole community.

The initial vision was refined.

The Good Samaritan would become a skills centre training in tailoring and shoe making, enabling vulnerable youngsters, unable to continue in secondary education for different reasons, to have a way of making a living through vocational skills.

The training centre opened and training started in February 2013. The objective was to have trained 6 tailors, including Rose, a young lady with a physical disability and 13 shoemakers by December 2013. A tailor from one of the women's groups volunteered to train the tailors, and Bob one of the street children, with shoe-making skills, would train the shoemakers. The centre started with 4 sewing machines, Rose's hand operated machine and materials and equipment to begin shoe making.

Bob training in shoemaking (left) and Rose being trained by the volunteer from the womens group (above)

Young women training to be tailors (right)

Since 2013 many young people have been trained. Bwera secondary school commissioned the centre to make school uniforms and praised the tailors for the quality of their work. Rose now has her own small business and shop in Kasese. Bob now runs his own business in Kasese so at present there is no-one to train in shoe-making.

The team in Uganda recognised a desire in young women to learn hairdressing skills and so training opportunities were provided.

Currently there are 36 students in the centre learning tailoring and dress making skills. AWU have supported this enterprise by pledging some funding towards the cost of the required materials. Kagando Hospital are supporting 5 of these young people.