I guarantee you didn't expect to read that on this website....but it is something I need to tell you. In my visits to Uganda I have never seen a Lion in the wild... maybe just as well....because Lions in Uganda Climb trees!!! I am not 100% if this is unique to just Ugandan Lions ……but if you bad mouth a Lion , or appear to be a tasty morsel to a hungry Lion …running up a tree may not be the best option.
On one trip , I was about to rescue a giraffe that appeared to have got stuck in a tree....not one with a lion up it ....and was only prevented from doing it by my driver in his 1985 Toyota Corolla frantically tooting and waving his arms pleading for me not to do it.
It is only when you are within a few feet from these majestic animals do you realise how tall they are. ( This one was a fully grown Male)
In this most beautiful country there are 1066 known bird species , it also has the highest density of primates in the world .
Did you know there are 50 different tribes with different cultures and Uganda has the highest ratio of children to population of any country in the world.
And that is why we need to operate an Orphanage. Sadly many Ugandan Children do not have the things that Children in developed countries with Social Welfare protection have ....many like our Orphans who have just 2 sets of clothes, one set of shoes and a pencil and some A4 paper that they do their school work on. And our children are the privileged ones... going to school is a privilege that many Ugandan children simply will never attain.
Occasionally I am asked how we know the names , ages and other details of our orphans when they are dumped in ditches, rubbish bins or left in the front of church buildings. If the children had come to us under those circumstances names are given to them and an approx. age . All are nationally registered and there is huge scrutiny and accountability and we as a NFP CHARITY conform to all the myriad of regulations needed to run both an accredited school and orphanage.
It takes an incredible amount of time , effort and money to look after the children (172)
on a 24/7 basis.....and Cogan and Medius , our supporting staff and teachers do an amazing job. Through Monsoonal Rain, Malaria carrying Mosquitos, Crop Failures, Droughts, Flooding, Power Cuts , Illness and Hospitalisations.....this just an abridged list.....
In the Financial year just ended we were blessed by a very small number of generous, kind hearted people who gifted a total of NZ $101,000 ....despite huge adversities and challenges....made even more difficult by world economic conditions....
We are also extremely pleased to tell people that 99.960 % of money donated reaches the children .
The only problem we have is the need to expand our funding base.
We need 40 additional people to donate the equivalent of the cost of a coffee a day .
That would enable our work to continue .....( please refer to a previous posting that outlines what donations are spent on).....
Maybe you could share this website with family, church, recreation groups......
It would be so much appreciated..and on a lighter note if you do escape a Lion by climbing a tree please let me know!!!
Lindsay Walker
