A trip to SALEM-Uganda

We didn’t have to venture far to find a fan of SALEM’s work. Just an hour along the 4 hour journey from the airport, we stopped in the capital Kampala. A man noticed the SALEM minibus and came over. “Your hospital saves so many people” he told us. “The staff there helped my daughter when she was very sick”. He thanked us for the work that SALEM does and told us how highly SALEM is regarded in the community.

Some hours later, we arrived at SALEM-Uganda – it was much bigger than I had imagined! There is a health centre, children’s home, nursery school, medicinal herb garden, tree nursery, shop, staff housing, craft department, tailoring school, guest house and restaurant. All are bustling with activity.

During our visit we met community members collecting tree seedlings and enrolling in a follow up programme. We accompanied SALEM volunteers to schools where they run environment classes and help plant trees to create shade, conserve water and bear fruit.

We took part in a community seminar about medicinal herbs. We met health centre staff and patients. We saw the epilepsy clinic where 150 people had walked miles to be given life-saving anti-epileptic medication. We played with the children and saw the improvements made to the buildings they live in. We went on social work visits and met other NGOs.

The number of areas in which SALEM is engaged is varied, impressive but above all, crucial.

The project that has grown out of a community decimated by war and famine only 30 years ago is impressive, but the need is still huge. The recent drought means crops have failed and SALEM will have to gear itself up to assist more people in the immediate future.

I realised that much of what is achieved in SALEM-Uganda happens simply because there is no-one else to do it. When a child is found abandoned, it needs shelter. When so many people are sick, they need help. When the trees are destroyed for firewood, new ones must be replanted. The sheer scale of need means that funds are always stretched impossibly thin. SALEM-Uganda needs our support to be able to continue their work. They have mine. Please join me.

Pamela Spence, Director SALEM-Scotland