August 2009

We are delighted to update you on the progress of the Abayudaya Community Health and Development Project.

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Construction Begins on Health Center

Construction of the much-anticipated health center began on July 3. The completed facility will have two stories; a health clinic will occupy the ground floor and the second floor will have spaces for rent by local businesses. The total area will be 4,000 square feet, and the two floors will have up to 20 rooms.

The first phase of construction consisted of casting the foundation slab, top right. Next, workers erected metal pillars and brick walls. The plumbers have begun to install pipes and sewage lines for all the rooms.

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Abayudaya Assist in Famine Relief

Members of the Abayudaya delivered 1,100 kg of food relief they donated to hungry families among the estimated three million in Uganda facing starvation in a worsening famine. According to the government, there are food shortages in the north and east brought on by drought and other factors. Nearly 40 people have died so far of hunger-related complications. Rabbi Gershom Sizomu motivated his community to respond before those numbers got worse.

"Central to our Jewish values is saving lives," Rabbi Sizomu told the 65 families sitting on the ground in the shade of a large tree next to mud-hut homes with thatched roofs in this remote village in Ngariam sub-county, Katakwi district, one of the hardest-hit districts. "We wish you well and we pray that God brings this to an end."

To contribute to the food relief, donations can be made to Rabbi Sizomu’s Discretionary Fund/Famine Relief.