Builds a new and specially decorated center in Uganda

Construction work is well underway on what will be a new and modern rehabilitation center in Lira. Adina Foundation Uganda becomes master of its own house after 10 years of continuous work in Uganda.

The new buildings are fully financed with funds from various private donors who have activities in several African countries. This is a great certificate to our employees and a solid recognition from outsiders. And it is difficult to wish for a more useful anniversary gift. The cost is estimated at 180,000 dollars, approx. NOK 1.9 million at today's exchange rate.

Construction work is well underway in Lira. Construction work is well underway in Lira.

There is a lot of professional expertise at the bottom of this construction project which will be the new Lira Rehabilitation Center (LRC). The buildings are decorated in accordance with plans designed in collaboration between the architect and those who will use the facility. AFU owns the plot where they previously ran a pig farm and arable farming. Some of the old and very solid building mass will be given new life while other parts have been demolished to the foundation before new walls are built.

The physiotherapy section will have 140 square meters of equipment, ribbed walls and benches, and everything will be set up as the physiotherapists believe it will work best for them and for the children who are to be rehabilitated. This part also has an office, two toilets, a room for a nurse and a separate waiting room. Patients' integrity is safeguarded in a good way.

The new center at AFU was designed by a local architect.

The children who come to LRC will not lose education and in the school building there will be up to two classrooms. There will also be office space for two social workers and two teachers. Modern facilities will make the LRC an attractive workplace, and it is an overriding goal in the Adina Foundation's aid philosophy that there should be quality teaching.

Our social workers also get better working conditions. They have an important job to do with the children at the center, and they are important links between AFU and follow-up of activities and out in the villages.

The dormitories are designed to initially accommodate 40 children, but the capacity can easily be expanded to 50 children. In that case, this will be a doubling of the capacity compared to the current plant.

Two non-profit European organizations have found each other and are working towards a common goal, a better life for a very vulnerable group in Uganda.

The father rides several miles to give his son treatment at Lira RehabThe father rides several miles to give his son treatment at Lira Rehab

In the villages we register a changed view of violence in the families. When someone crosses the boundaries, they are spoken to by the village's own. Our people are also noticing growing interest from adults in learning to count and read, and there is now fierce competition for saving villages in between. Many realize that it is smart to think ahead with regard to pig farming or beekeeping, and women are more strongly involved and handle the finances in families and savings banks.

In parallel with this, we train the adults in reading and arithmetic. We try to teach them to run a shop so that farmers will not be fooled when they sell the goods and buy feed. Adult education also includes conversations about AIDS, domestic violence and children's rights.

Uganda is fast approaching 38 million inhabitants, the second fastest population growth in the world. 38 percent of all children are chronically malnourished / malnourished. Better food and a safer food supply will provide a huge health benefit.

70 per cent of the able-bodied population is employed in agriculture. Agriculture accounts for over 20 percent of Uganda's GDP, but much is lost because crops are not properly cared for. Food shortages and malnutrition are such a serious problem that the country's authorities up to the presidential level get involved. Adina Farm has established a good collaboration with local agricultural authorities.

When the physiotherapy section, the classrooms and the dormitory are completed, the work of building a modern kitchen begins. The outdoor areas will give us a boost for play and outdoor activities that are important elements in our rehabilitation programs. The warehouse of what was once Adina Farm will be converted into a treatment clinic and a simple pharmacy. And the old administrative block for the farm with three spacious rooms will be refurbished for use by the LRC's administrative department. Sam Atul is chairman of the board of AFU. Sam Atul is chairman of the board of AFU.

- The construction work is of course affected by the temporary corona rules that the entire Ugandan society must comply with. This also applies to the activities we have at our current center in Lira, says chairman of the board of AFU, Sam Atul.

- On April 1, all companies and organizations - except those with important roles, were closed for 14 days to combat the spread of the corona virus, and this includes the construction work on our new center. We are waiting and hope that we can start up again soon, says the chairman of the board.