Dear Friends and Supporters
As this unbelievable year comes to an end, everyone here at Uganda Cancer Trust UK, and all our colleagues in Uganda, would like to send you our very best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a safe and healthful 2021.
Your support has been fantastic, and has enabled us to provide a small fund to Makerere and Mulago Palliative Care Unit (MMPCU) for them to help patients in need, with basic necessities like food for caregivers, help with transport costs or a toy to bring a smile to a child having chemotherapy. We have also set up a treatment fund which MMPCU will administer so that patients who can’t afford diagnostics tests or treatments can be helped with the costs.
And of course you also responded to the requests to help both our partners with additional COVID expenses. All this help has been much appreciated but the situation is still very difficult for ordinary people. Transport costs have doubled because of restrictions on numbers of passengers, jobs have been lost and many people are struggling just to get enough food, let alone pay for medical treatment. We continue to look for additional funding so if you are able to help please do make a donation via Givey. Thank you so much.
Our UK partner, Advantage Africa, continue their great work helping people with albinism identify skin cancer problems as early as possible through their mobile screening service. Sadly sometimes cancers are too advanced for local cryotherapy treatment, so we have supported the costs of more extensive surgery and follow up therapy. One example this summer was Jessica, a grandmother who was suffering with lesions in her foot which prevented her walking. I am delighted that she has now completed her treatment, and it looks as though she should be up and about as normal before too long.
Our thanks too to the members of Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust in Oxford for their continued support for Liz Nabirye, the Information Nurse at MMPCU. Liz has sent a letter of thanks which you can read here.
Thank you as ever for reading this and for your support.
Christine Whitehouse
Chair of the Trustees