Colin with Princess Evelyn from an earlier visit to Tavistock

t the end of November Colin and Joy Bond, leaders of Tavistock Community Church, returned from a visit to the United States. They were seeking to sort out the fine detail of establishing a hospital in Fort Portal in Uganda. Colin said he went with the intention of helping to start up one hospital – he came back with the plans to get two hospitals and a clinic up and running.

Colin and Joy spent over a week with Evelyn Komuntale in California. Evelyn, an African Princess and ordained minister, has given her life to helping the suffering children of Africa. Although born into royalty, she was separated from her family during her childhood when Africa was moving towards independence in the early 60's. Since that childhood trauma, her heart has been set on helping children in Africa, especially those orphaned by AIDS. You can see more on her web site here.

Evelyn has a contact in Fort Portal who is running a basic and very under-resourced clinic. He told Evelyn that he desperately needs help as people are dying in his hands every day. There is an empty building available in Fort Portal that has the potential to become a hospital, while medically-qualified staff are also ready and waiting to work.

There is a huge need in the area for more facilities for diagnosing wounds and illnesses. Thousands of people are suffering, and most of them can't afford the option of a day's journey to Kampala to get treatment. We have been given a Land Rover ambulance that would be ideally suited to the terrain in the area. In emergency situations it could even be used to take patients to the hospital in Kampala.

Colin discovered that there was a great deal more administrative work needed to get the medical provisions ready for the Fort Portal hospital than we had expected. We hope and pray to be able to get these much-needed supplies out to Uganda early next year. We’re also looking at getting a forty-foot container out to Kenya as soon as we can. This container would provide supplies to start up a clinic in Nairobi, and to help kick-start another hospital between Nairobi and Nakuru.

	A personal message from Colin Bond, pastor of Tavistock Community Church
	"Back in 2002 we sent two twenty-foot containers to Africa. The medical equipment in those containers played a large part in helping equip a clinic in the Congo. We are currently storing items of equipment that would be invaluable over in Fort Portal. These include:- a functioning X-ray machine twenty hospital beds over fifty hospital bed mattresses two sets of operating theatre lights A Land Rover ambulance A transit van ambulance (see below) Many boxes of vital medical supplies "I have seen the tragedy and trauma that so many dear people, mothers and children especially, are suffering. I have also seen the help we've been able to give make a difference. We together here are moved to spend our lives and resources to help. "Will you stand in the gap? Will you give a few pounds to help send aid? Will you sow seeds of your goodwill and resourcing, and see how God will cause those seeds to grow and return to you with His blessing? "E-mail me if you can help - colinatkings@hotmail.com. "God bless you." Colin Bond
A forty-foot container to Nairobi costs about £3,500 - £4,000; to get one to Fort Portal costs about £7,500 - £8,000. Our funds for a container to Africa currently stand at £2,800. Your prayers and help for the difference to arrive soon are much appreciated!

Our prayer is still to be able to send the Land Rover ambulance donated to us (see story here) out to Fort Portal. Its four-wheel drive makes it ideally suited to the rough terrain and dirt tracks it will have to deal with there.

Chris Wright (in light jacket) receives the ambulance documentation from Dave Wyebrow, head of St John Ambulance Cadet Unit in Exeter

However, they also have a great need for an ambulance in Nairobi. By the grace of God, St John Ambulance Brigade Cadet Unit in Exeter have recently given us a transit-van ambulance that is ideal for Nairobi, where there are at least roads of some description! Projects co-ordinator Derek Perry and house-group leader Chris Wright went to the cadet unit at Exeter School where Derek gave a short talk about the situation in Africa before the ambulance was officially handed over by senior officer David Wyebrow (see right).

We are praying that this ambulance and much more medical equipment besides will be on their way to Kenya very soon. Please pray for God’s guidance and provision as we prepare for this.