About 80 children at the Chain Foundation Orphanage in Kampala, Uganda will be receiving Christmas gifts from Canada as a result of an initiative by Anglican Video, General Synod’s video production company.
“Most of the children at the orphanage lost their parents to HIV/AIDS,” said Becky Boucher, Anglican Video production manager. “We felt that we needed to do something for them this Christmas.”
A year ago, Anglican Video visited the orphanage while making a video on AIDS for the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF). “We have kept in touch with the children and this past spring, we were able with the help of many friends and family, to send mosquito nets for each child’s bed as well as balls, badminton sets, crayons and paper,” said Ms. Boucher.
For the Christmas presents, many people, including General Synod staff answered our call for help, said Ms Boucher. “We have now received gifts ranging from shoes, books, paintings and crafts which are all ready to go.”
Gifts will be put in bags sewn by well-wishers who volunteered their time. Ollyshoes, a shoe company based in Toronto will be providing eight cartons full of shoes that will be shipped to Kampala, said Ms. Boucher. The company has a program that provides shoes to children in need.
The Anglican Book Centre has donated wooden crosses that will be given to the girls.
People have also donated money for shipment of the goods.
Another major development has been a link between the children at the orphanage and children at a school in Colorado, who had helped earlier in the year. The children are working on a program to raise money for gifts to be sent next Easter.
“We hope this will create a bond of communication between the children and that they will all learn from each other understanding their different surroundings,” said Ms. Boucher.
The orphanage is run by the Anglican diocese of Kampala. Children range in age from three to 18 years.
Interested in keeping up-to-date on news, opinion, events and resources from the Anglican Church of Canada? Sign up for our email alerts .