In an interview with Daily Monitor, the administrator of the home Sister Mary Lunyoro said that the donor, also the main sponsor (80%), Francis Lucas told them that he is pulling out due to "advanced age".
“He is pulling out officially by December 31, 2022. He is now not capable of supporting us and this leaves us in a hopeless situation,” she said.
The facility started losing donors two years ago with the onset of coronavirus. This left them entirely dependent on Lucas, who is has been its main sponsor.
The home was started in 1963 by the Mill Hill Missionaries of the Catholic Diocese of Tororo, to care for abandoned babies and children whose caregivers are severely handicapped. Currently, it supports 30 babies.
Lucas and his wife Elizabeth, Netherland citizens have been its biggest funders. Elizabeth passed away three years ago.
What this means for the home
Since they lost donors during the pandemic, activities like outreaches, donations, and the distribution of food to vulnerable children have been bottlenecked. The shocks are expected to get worse in the new development.
“This will be worsened by the pulling out of our main donor who has been contributing 80 percent of the funds,” she said.
Running the facility has also gradually become hard including; monthly to pay staff allowances, medical supplies, food, among others, which cost up to Shs10 million monthly. At the moment, livestock projects are their saving grace.
“We have 14 staff and [we] are now totally handicapped on how we are going to take care of them. We have some small poultry and piggery projects and if we can get a boost from donors and the government, it will help us in our journey of self-sustainability,” Lunyoro said.
A social worker at the home, Racheal Weginga said the past two months have been a struggle for medical supplies and baby hodgepodge.
“We have to always work hard to make sure these babies are protected and healthy, and the treatment bills and medical supplies are very expensive. We are in trouble because packed milk for children goes for about Shs60,000, which we cannot afford right now,” she said.
Lydia Mukwana, the Director of Sheila Muwala Mulungi Girls’ Foundation, said they donated to the facility a few weeks prior but that substantial help is needed.