Severe water problem for families in Kotido Catholic Diocese, Uganda.

SPICMA has recently funded with your help 5 new boreholes at a cost of £24,000.00 this past year plus another £2000.00 for providing a rain water storage tank for Mill Hill’s Panyangara Mission. The new Diocese of Kotido has now asked SPICMA to raise more funds to sink a further twenty more new boreholes in the area of Nakapelimoru Sub-County which the Mill Hill Missionaries are currently supporting. The cost of another twenty Wells will be nearly a £100,000.00. 

Our personal views are that clean water is not only essential to any quality of life, but also it is a God given right, that every person should have clean water in which at least drink and hopefully bathe.  We have decided to try and complete the whole of this project in the next twelve months. So far your help has raised nearly £35,000.00 towards this end.  

The Sub-County of Nakapelimoru has a population of 21,142. At present, there are only ten functioning boreholes with hand pumps in the whole of this region. This means that one borehole is shared between approximately 2,000 people. The recommendation by WHO is a maximum of 300 people per borehole. It is therefore evident that these people are on the very edge of existence. 

Because of the difficulty in obtaining clean water and the low level of education, diseases are rife. Children are not washed and many suffer from scabies and body lice. Eye infections and trachoma are very common. During the rainy season, water is often drawn from surface ponds, which are also used by cattle, while the men bathe in them too. Many children die from dehydration as a result of diarrhea, and worms. Others die from malaria and other treatable diseases.

PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE OCTOBER 2005

 In October 2005 we received news of the dreadful earthquake in Pakistan. As the Mill Hill Missionaries and Caritas were a source of information in this area we immediately set up an appeal which is probably the largest we have recently been involved in, nearly £116,000 was raised.  London Auditors have confirmed that all the funds were received by Caritas Pakistan. However many families in both India and Pakistan still live in Tents following the Earthquake in October 2005. The consequence of this was that we received further appeals both from India and Pakistan for further assistance.

Bishop Peter Celestine of the Diocese of Jammu in India approached us via the Mill Hill Missionaries and asked for assistance.  We sent him £9,000.00  

Bishop Curti of the Diocese of Faisalabad, Pakistan recently asked for assistance.  We have sent him £6000.00, but hope to increase that sum from Current Appeals.

Flood Victims in Khipro. Sindh Diocese, Pakistan

 On Saturday, August 26, 2006 we received the following email, from Mill Hill Missionaries in the area.

"Bad news from Khipro, Sindh, Pakistan. People have been desperately draining water from the crops – but to no avail. Now all the crops and villages are under water and the crops will soon die. Many people are not able to access clean drinking water. Mosquitoes are everywhere and people are getting sick. It is the worst situation since I came to this area in 1995. I have seen similar situations in Matli in early 1980’s and in Kunri in the late 80’s. The people are in immediate need of help. People’s houses are under water. Those who have some food find it hard to find fire-wood – and if they have some  it is often wet. Some mud houses and wooden structures have collapsed.  As our people work on the land for big landlords, the longer term scenario for them is not good. Crops have failed. They will not find work as there will be no picking of the cotton and chillies. 

We are making a desperate cry of help for them. We would be very grateful for any financial support. Looking forward to hearing from you and thanking you in anticipation. 

We immediately sent £10,000 which left UK on the 28^th August 2006. We decided to set up an appeal on their behalf as no other agency appeared to have noticed this tragedy. As a result we raised in total £51,360.00 which was sent on to them as and when the money came in. Our final payment was made on the 6^th December.2006

SPICMA, P.O.Box 176, Clitheroe, BB7 0DS
E-Mail: spicma@btconnect.com

Charity Registration No 270794. Established in 1967
Patrons: Bishop Thomas McMahon, Sir Hugh Rossi