A mum has launched a £5,000 fundraising bid to ensure children at a Ugandan orphanage gain access to clean water.
Hannah Vicarage, of Sidford, whose mother and father helped launch Gideon’s Trust with Pastor Gideon Mubiru - a close family friend - has issued a rallying call for residents to help the cause.
It comes after the borehole the charity’s orphanage and children’s centre were using as a water supply became septic and unsafe to drink.
Hannah and her family are doing all they can by sending water containers, which are just keeping the community alive.
She is now desperately trying to raise the funds needed to build a water pipeline to the Konde Hill community from Kampala, which is two hours’ drive away.
With no other water source available, the community has had to watch a devastating heatwave and drought kill all its livestock and crops.
Hannah said she wanted to do her bit for the cause and raise as much money as possible.
“This loving, caring little community is currently facing a major disaster,” she said.
“It is such a shame. Over here we take water for granted and we are so lucky – they don’t have anything like that.
“It will be amazing if we can reach our target. It will save lives and it would mean the whole community there would be able to flourish.”
Vicar David Williams, Hannah’s father, first met Gideon while he was doing missionary work in Africa.
Gideon had almost lost his whole family to HIV and AIDS - he is now only one of four surviving members.
David and his family decided to help the pastor launch Gideon’s Trust in 2007 to mainly support the work he was doing in Uganda to help children who had been affected by, or lost their parents and families to, HIV and AIDS.
It also helps Gideon raise awareness, allowing him to spend a lot of his time teaching children and African communities how to stay healthy and avoid it.
Gideon was able to build and open the orphanage and children’s centre, ‘The Gaaf family home’, which is very similar to the place where he grew up, thanks to the fundraising done through the charity.
It houses 43 children, some of whom are full-time residents and others are sent there every day by their families for their food, education, clothing, medication and more.
While in the UK doing charity work, Gideon often stayed at Hannah’s family home, which is how they became so close.
Visit www.gideonstrust.co.uk if you would like to donate to the cause.
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