Friends of Mengo Hospital Update

Christ Church’s Mission to Mengo Hospital, Kampala, Uganda

By Betsy Thompson

Christ Church’s missions reach around the globe ministering to orphans, refugees, and the poor.

Through the Mengo Hospital mission committee Christ Church has been working in Kampala, Uganda, in East Africa for 30 years. Most recently the focus has been with the HIV/AIDS clinic, including providing support to the staff, who serve their patients with great care under trying circumstances, and the children’s program.

Mengo’s children’s program serves more than 60 children, who typically were infected at birth.

One program that Christ Church is currently funding prevents the transmission of the deadly virus from pregnant women to their new born children. This life-saving program is fairly simple, requiring only a blood test for the expectant mother. For those who test positive, a single dose of anti-retrovirus medicine administered to the mother when she goes into labor and baby right after birth prevents transmission of the disease. Newborn babies are monitored for several months after birth.

Work through Mengo Hospital’s HIV/AIDS clinic has been successful in reducing the number of babies that develop this terrible disease. Clinic’s director, Dr. Edith Namulema, her staff, and the patients they serve are truly grateful for the support received from Christ Church and feel blessed by our commitment to them.