Wellspring Home for Disabled Children

The Wellspring Home for Disabled and Disadvantaged Children was opened in 2018. 

Noeline Nakaagwa is a disabled Ugandan woman with a generous, compassionate heart, who has dedicated her life to caring for disabled and abandoned children in rural Uganda. She is a wonderful advocate for the rights of the disabled. She believes that being disabled is a form of uniqueness, that all people are equal, and disabled and able-bodied people must have equal rights in every society. She has proved that love is the greatest healer of all. She is a natural mother of two girls and an adopted mother of over 47 disabled children.

For many years Noeline and her children lived in a small brick built house, originally donated by Kitovu Mobile. The house consisted of 4 small rooms, a separate kitchen and workshop and 2 toilets. There was insufficient land for recreation and what they had was close to a main road and very uneven, resulting in broken bones for some of the children. As the years progressed more and more children came to live with Noeline to receive security, practical assistance and love. As a result their home became too small for its purpose and Noeline found it increasingly difficult to provide food, clothing and medical care for all her children, many of whom were severely handicapped. 

In 2009 Medcare was introduced to Noeline and her children and observed the wonderful work she was, almost single handedly, undertaking. Medcare  began to assist with some of the needs of the children, at times providing food or paying her electricity bill and including a number of her children onto the Medcare sponsorship scheme. However, it became apparent that much greater intervention was required and the Medcare Board of Trustees began to discuss the possibility of building a home fit for purpose, for Noeline and her children.  Roman Strzala, a UK architect and supporter of Medcare, who had met Noeline on a number of his visits to Uganda, offered to draw up some architectural drawings for a new home for the children.  Fund raising for this project then began.

From 2015 to 2018, £70,000 was provided by people and organisations from different walks of life, mostly in the UK but also in the USA, in order to build and equip a new home for Noeline and the children. By January 2018, building work had begun. BM Construction, a Ugandan building firm, were chosen to build the new home and they completed the construction in June 2018. On Saturday June 23rd, a team from the UK attended the opening ceremony for the new Wellspring Home for Disabled and Disadvantaged Children. Bishop Samuel Kamya led a service of blessing; all 600 guests were provided with a meal; and the children provided hours of entertainment, including singing and dancing. The day was very hot and noisy and full of joy and laughter. It was a wonderful acknowledgement of Noeline’s love and compassion for so many needy, special children and all who attended felt privileged to be a part of such celebrations. 

The new home was specially designed by Roman Strzala and houses 42 children, and four adults. There are separate boys and girls dormitories, equipped with metal bunk beds, bedding, mosquito nets and metal trunks for their personal belongings. There is a well equipped kitchen and a large dining hall. Boys and girls toilets and shower blocks are situated close to the main building and there are 2 internal toilets for children to use at night, or when sick. The indoor living area is very spacious and a large covered verandah provides a shaded out-door space. In the grounds is a specially designed play area, with a large playship adapted for use by the disabled; and a workshop for cottage industries, including, bead and mat making, and carpentry. There is plenty of room for farming and keeping hens, goats, pigs and cows. There are good safety features in the building, such as fire extinguishers and fire doors and the home has been inspected and passed fit for use by the local Ugandan Ministry of Health. The home is maintained to a high stanard.

Medcare’s long term aims for the Wellspring Home for Disabled and Disadvantaged Children are: 

• Provision of safe, hygienic housing for seriously deprived, abused, abandoned, rejected handicapped children, in a loving family environment.
• A secure future with provision of long-term care for the seriously handicapped and vocational training for those more able.
• Integration of the handicapped into local schools and communities, in an attempt to abolish prejudices and superstitions.
• Enabling disabled children to take their rightful places within their communities, providing them with a knowledge of their own self worth and hope for the future. 

Medcare would like to thank all persons who have contributed towards the financing of this project, including SPL (International) (now known as Bevie), various contractors working with the Airbus Facilities Management team at Broughton, the Frodsham and Helsby Inner Wheel, Kings Church Frodsham, Mount Chapel, Salford and Brook Chapel, Runcorn, and many other generous individuals.

Since January 2021 Samaritan’s Purse have annually, generously provided funds to assist with the purchase of food, clothing, school requirements, transport needs, sanitary items and medical costs. This has enabled Medcare to continue to provide Noeline and the children with the high standard of care required for such desperately needy children. Within this time 10 children have been successfully re-introduced to their families and communities and other desperately needy children have taken their places. Medcare has also provided funds to assist in the safe keeping of the children by building a security wall around the whole property.