We started from nothing
The first ladies group gathered in Nebbi in 2010 under a Mango tree
Dedication of Building and plaque by local MP and Bishop Paul in 2012
The building process was fraught with difficulties and delays
The Lord’s Resistance Army soldiers that occupied northern Uganda after the reign of Idi Amin, left Uganda in 2006. They left a devastated people who had little with which to rebuild their lives. Many had lost their homes and loved ones while others had been left with HIV and a legacy of mistrust and other effects of trauma.
I was first persuaded to make the 8 hour drive from Kampala to Nebbi by the formidable, Late Stella Nighty, a women’s leader who had given her life to caring for Aids widows, and the babies of mothers who died in childbirth. Talking with some of the older women about the challenges they faced with high mortality in childbirth and no midwife or healthcare professional to talk to about basic women’s problems, I vowed to get them a facility where they could receive the care and health education they so desperatly needed.
It took 6 long years to gather the money and build the Rose of Sharon Medical Centre. Donations came from my family members, individuals, mothers in the UK, churches and even schoolchildren who organised fundraisers and presented us with the money raised through their efforts. We finally opened our doors in September 2016. Sadly, Mama Stella lost her battle with cancer the very week that the Rose of Sharon opened its doors, but she would be so proud to see the difference we have already made.
We have significantly contributed to the reduction in infant and maternal mortality figures in the Nebbi region. The centre is now open 24 hours a day with an outpatient department, lab facilities, ultrasound scanning and a new cervical cancer screening unit. The centre has 15 full time staff who are all funded by Eagles Wings, including the running costs and maintenance of the facility and grounds.
Sharon Oliver - Eagles Wings visionary and unpaid volunteer