Woman helps needy children in Uganda
Meeting a woman who was rescued from a life of poverty and labour inspired a Southland woman to start her own foundation to help children in Uganda.
Sitting in her home in Wallacetown, which is a world away from the village of Rwenjaza, Jane Laurie’s face lights up when she talks about the work to save the many abandoned and vulnerable children.
As soon as she arrives at Rwenjaza the children rush towards her, she said.
Laurie started the New Zealand division of Fountain of Peace, after meeting Peace Ruharuza in 2005, who started Fountain of Peace Uganda.
Ruharuza was brought to New Zealand by overseas aid and development organisation Tearfund to speak about her time as a child labourer and growing up in poverty.
Tearfund rescued Ruharuza when she was 6 or 7 years old.
Laurie, who was Tearfund’s Otago Southland regional manager at the time, said Raharuza’s story forever stayed in her thoughts.
And, she became the inspiration to start the New Zealand chapter in 2012.
It wasn’t a hard decision to leave a paid position at Tearfund to work for no wages in Fountain of Peace NZ, Laurie said.
A Christian, Laurie says it’s her calling to be in a team to give a brighter future to children who have been orphaned or abandoned.
‘‘To see we’re making a difference in these children’s lives drives me.’’
‘‘We’ve been told by authorities that if we didn’t take them, they wouldn’t be alive now,’’ she said. ‘‘When you hear young voices calling out, ‘mamma Jane, mamma Jane’, it melts your heart.’’
Money raised by Fountain of Peace NZ or donated has helped to build a babies’ home, three family homes, a school and a poultry shed in Rwenjaza.
The poultry shed houses 200 chickens which will supply eggs and meat for the children and their caregivers. The aim is to eventually have 5000 hens. The babies’ home has 23 infants, while the family homes each have a foster mother with seven or eight children and a nanny.
Laurie and fellow Kiwis who help her with Fountain of Peace NZ are all volunteers, while the organisation’s staff in Rwenjaza are paid.
Fountain of Peace NZ could not accept all babies that were brought to them, Laurie said.
‘‘Sadly, we have to say no [at times] because we’ve got to be able to look after the one’s we’ve got.’’
Part of Laurie’s role as Fountain of Peace NZ’s executive director is to oversee fundraising and donations of money, clothing and other goods.
The organisation is involved in several programmes in Rwenjaza – education, health, clean water and community development.
‘‘To set up a hospital in the village is one of my dreams,’’ Laurie said.
She makes two or three trips to the village a year and for the remainder of the time, she works from home to ensure the Fountain of Peace NZ facilities and programmes are operating properly.
The New Zealand division of Dress A Girl Around The World is supplying 500 boys and girls garments for Laurie to take to Rwenjaza in October.
Others donating goods for the trip include, Skellerup (gumboots), Union Church in Riverton (aprons and clothing) and Margaret Christiansen (collecting donated towels).
Laurie is accompanied on each trip to Uganda by five to 10 supporters of the organisation. The supporters can include trades people, donors and volunteers in the organisation.