Deacon Gary Nosacek and Dr. Cindy Jones-Nosacek traveled to Uganda January-February 2022. Below are some pictures and notes from their visit.
A visit to one of the outlying chapels. It was outdoors, a table under a tree, and we used that for mass. 26 Baptisms and 36 First Communions!
The celebration for Sister Joyce’s 25 years as a nun was held near the Uganda Congo border. Rebel and bandit attacks were common in the area until a few months ago. Congo and Uganda got tired of the rebels running back and forth across the border to escape, so they created a joint special forces task force to address the problem. They now have peace there.
The sunflower crop was very good and the sunflower press is packed with seeds. Orders are coming in locally and from places like Kampala and South Sudan. The reputation for quality is very strong. After the sunflower seeds are ground into cooking oil, there is a waste product left behind, and it was discovered that it makes a good animal feed. Today a truck came from Kampala and bought 20 tons of it. The sunflower press made $2,800 by selling stuff that was once considered garbage! The buyer hired four local young men to load the truck, thus giving them a little extra income.
This is a picture of a line of patients waiting for care at the Saints Peter and Paul Health Center. The medical clinic’s incinerator project should begin soon. The engineer will come to make final plans with Sister Rosalba and Cindy and then the building starts! The community is very happy, as the government has grown tired of giving them an extension and was close to closing them down.
Sister Zipporah is being transferred to Palabek. She will be going to the refugee camps and will help them establish cassava gardens. Many Acholi were chased by war from their homes in South Sudan and are waiting in camps on the Uganda side to resettle. The project that we funded in Padibe is supplying all the cuttings for her.
Pictured from left to right: Felix, GS Padibe Chair; Fr. John Mark, parish priest; Geoffrey, day to day manager of the St. Francis Sunflower Press; Tommy, education chair; Deacon Gary Nosacek; Dr. Cindy Jones-Nosacek; Sister Rosalba, medical clinic; Alfred, catechist (helps with sacrament prep and prayer services); Catherine, a new committee member; James, student coordinator
Father John Mark and Sister Rosalba are showing off the new incinerator at Saints Peter and Paul Medical Clinic in Padibe. It was finished March, 2022. Before this, the clinic was burning medical waste in an open pit. The clinic is now in compliance with Ugandan Ministry of Health rules and will not be closed. Thanks to all who contributed to this project!
Dr. Cindy Jones-Nosacek shares reflections from this visit: Lessons from Uganda – The Pulse of Catholic Medicine (cathmed.org)