For the last three years MMN have been sending Containers of aid to the Mission Hospital, Kisiizi in Uganda. Friends of Kisiizi pack their goods in “banana boxes” and bring to the warehouse and pay £15 for the freight of each box. Any surplus funds generated from this charge are periodically forwarded to the hospital. We have just sent a gift in excess of £6K to the hospital sourced in this way. Rachel Wood’s family lived at Kisiizi Hospital between 1989 and 1996. Her father, Peter Wood, was the “doctor in charge” for the last four years. Rachel, now studying at Christchurch University, Canterbury, has written this article for MMN. Reflecting my childhood at Kisiizi Hospital
by Rachel Wood Kisiizi Hospital is situated in South-West Uganda, between Kabale and Rukungiri. It is in the Kigezi highlands. It is a beautiful region, close to the Virunga volcanoes which form the boundary between Uganda, Rwanda and Zaire, which are famous as home for the mountain gorillas. The western rift valley with Lakes Edward, George and Albert with the Rwenzori “Mountains of the moon” are nearby around the equator and the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Hospital was established in 1958 by the Ruanda Mission and subsequently handed over to the Church of Uganda. The hospital has never closed to patients since it started, which is a testimony to God's faithful provision. Many staff have shown great dedication in service to patients who come from a large catchment area stretching hundreds of miles, patients sometimes travelling from beyond Mbarara, the regional town 80 miles away.” – (extract from Kisiizi hospital friends home page) This sets the scene of where I spent some of my happiest childhood memories, living within the hospital compound set within the beautiful valley with the added treat of having the waterfall filled with a bamboo jungle as an extension of my back garden! Here I was the only white child, along with my sister, where we were constantly surrounded with the black children from the community and, knowing no different, this was how we lived. I attended the local school which my mum helped to set up, everyone was encouraged to speak English and learn from an English syllabus. However I quickly learned the regional African songs and games, history, geography and science of Uganda, which unfortunately was not of much use back in England, although facts like how to build a bee hive and how to hoe land were interesting! | |  |
I can clearly remember the days when the Containers arrived at the hospital from England, packed brimming with banana boxes containing clothes, toys and medical supplies. The excitement within the hospital community was felt by all as the staff and their children, my class mates, eagerly anticipated the day when they would be allowed to each choose a few items to take home.  | | Looking back now I can see all the love and time that was put into those banana boxes, especially from the mountains of brightly coloured knitted blankets, jumpers and teddies. I remember walking into the maternity and children’s ward and seeing children clinging to the knitted teddies, their only toy, which brought a little joy into their life despite sometimes being desperately ill. The joy of having so little – a few second hand clothes makes such little sense to us but can transform peoples lives. By the little they received, they, hopefully, where shown a little of Jesus’ love for them, which is the core of all that goes on behind the work of the hospital. I look back upon the years I spent in Uganda, full of memories of the delicious pineapples and passion fruit that I daily ate, along with the matokee (green banana stodge best describes it) and the posho (a bland maze porridge) foods I would not have chosen to eat, but with little choice you learn to appreciate all you have. |
Kisiizi hospital has flourished over the years as people felt Gods call to work there and many new projects have started from it; the vastness of the community that has grown around is amazing, and people who go there are mesmerized by the beauty of the place but also the work that the hospital does. The hospital saves so many sick people and, through the healing and care that so many receive, it gives hope and life again. Reflecting back I can recall many patients I saw healed and over the years Kisiizi has excited so many people it has touched. The foundation that has enabled this life bringing and healing work is through God, and the blessings he has poured onto Kisiizi; he just keeps providing and calling people. The motto of Kisiizi, ‘Life in all its fullness,’ can really be felt and believed as it is lived out everyday, transforming peoples lives through the love of God that people experience. The hospital has a chapel situated right at its core – illustrating how important the hallmark of Gods work and love is to the hospital, and from its establishment in 1958 to now, the work just keeps flourishing. 
Christians working with the Developing World
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