Kampala Here We Come: The Early Stages

On July 6^th 2017, The Rhema Foundation Canada travelled from Toronto, Canada, to the heart of Kampala, Uganda, on a medical humanitarian trip that would become a life-changing experience for all those involved. This latest blog series explores that fateful trip and the ongoing work of the Foundation in the heart of East Africa.

Part one of our Uganda series begins right at the start, by revealing how this amazing trip came to fruition.

For those who are unfamiliar, Uganda is among one of the youngest countries in the world, with 77% of its population under the age of 30. While this overwhelmingly young population means that the country is bursting with energy and enthusiasm, the imbalance has caused a significant strain on the country’s national resources – particularly when it comes to healthcare. Recognizing the dire need for medical resources and infrastructure in Uganda, The Rhema Foundation Canada put together a team of talented individuals to embark on a medical humanitarian trip to the country’s capital city of Kampala.

From the outset, the Foundation worked within the standard approach of assessing, partnering, and investing. More specifically, the objectives of the trip were broken down into three key goals: providing medical supplies and medicine to the city of Kampala, assessing the needs of the healthcare in the city of Kampala, and creating a long-term partnership with the city of Kampala.

To achieve these goals, the Foundation set about securing partnerships with reputable organizations who could aid in the efforts to provide resources to localities with limited access to public healthcare, health education, medical equipment, and treatment referrals. One of these partners was Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC), which equips medical mission teams, stocks clinics/hospitals in impoverished communities, mobilizes medical relief during emergencies, and builds local medical capacity. Working with the Foundation, HPIC was generously able to provide over 250 lbs. of medical supplies and medicine, which included medical kits, dental kits and mother/child kits.

The generosity of HPIC was also matched by other partners, such as Medical Ministry International (MMI) and Merck Canada. MMI Canada provided the Foundation with a suitcase full of medical supplies, while Merck Canada sponsored all of the health, dental and mother/child kits sent to Kampala – a donation with a value of $15,000. These organizations ultimately helped to provide the support and resources necessary so that the team on the ground in Kampala could empower the local community to take steps towards improving preventative care and community health education.

With the goals for the trip in place and resources supplied by generous sponsors and partners, the Foundation was able to finalize the trip to Kampala and begin making arrangements with local organizations on the ground.

To find out what happened when The Rhema Foundation Canada arrived in East Africa, keep checking back for the next chapter in our ongoing blog series!