ANNIE GALLANT
Observer Reporter
W
e do it in small ways and big. Some dedicate their lives to a cause and some help out in small ways, a donation, an hour of time, a vote on line.
Quesnel has a long history of helping in a host of ways.
Right now, there’s a group preparing for their second visit to a region in Northern Uganda called Gulu to build a school for orphans.
However, in order to build the school the group must fundraise for the cost of materials and furnishings.
To raise the needed money, fundraisers have been held since the last trip in 2007.
Right now they’re organizing an Authentic African Dinner, Mar. 5, which not only provides a taste extravaganza but a powerful keynote speaker who has firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing Ugandans.
Dr. Chris Opio, UNBC professor in forestry, began life in war-torn, poverty-stricken Northern Uganda. One of the most pressing issues continues to be clean drinking water.
Opio lost five of his 10 siblings to dirty drinking water.
It was against this tragic backdrop that Opio decided to put his academic and scientific training to work helping the people of Northern Uganda.
To date, Northern Uganda Development Foundation has opened 29 wells, providing more than 42,000 people access to clean water.
Opio was also one of the 10 finalists in CBC’s National Champions of Change.
Authentic African Dinner is also auctioning off donated items.
“Many local businesses donated large and small items to provide everyone an opportunity to join the bidding fun,” organizer Eileen Cindric said.
Auction items include two, $250-flight vouchers from Central Mountain Air, a spa treatment valued at $150 and a load of gravel from HMC.
Margie Wiebe said in addition to Dr. Opio’s presentation, harpists will entertain during the dinner and the 2007 team, which built one of the Watoto village homes, will also have a slide presentation.
And speaking of feasting, the meal includes authentic African chicken peanut wraps, hummus and chips, banana slush punch, two salads, chicken curry, dried fruit baboti (special beef dish), couscous, yellow rice, chapattis and an array of exotic fresh fruits for dessert.
Every penny of the proceeds from the dinner and auction goes to the school building project.
Each and every team member is paying their own way to Gulu and have also accumulated items to take to the children including new summer clothing for the children donated by WalMart, school supplies, medical supplies and little extras.
“Each of us is taking an extra suitcase filled with items for the children,” Wiebe said.
Gulu is one of several regions with orphan homes, schools and clinics for Ugandan orphans set up through Watoto Child Care Ministries (many in Quesnel have enjoyed Watoto choir performances) with the goal to rescue orphans and vulnerable women, raise each one to be a leader in their chosen sphere of life so they in turn will rebuild their nation.
“Some of these children were taken from their families to become child soldiers who were then ordered to kill, sometimes their own families,” Cindric said.
“Even the ones who escaped that horror, had to hide in the bush and try to survive.”
Part of the Watoto model involves physical care, medical intervention including HIV/AIDS treatment, education formal and technical, trauma counseling and spiritual discipleship.
Once the children are taken into one of the orphan homes in a Watoto village, they live with seven other orphans and a housemother.
Watoto Child Care Ministries has dreams of recreating the Watoto model in other African countries also suffering the effects of poverty, war, dictatorships and rampant HIV/AIDS and other diseases that created the overwhelming number of African orphans.
Help the Quesnel team build a school for these orphans.
The Authentic African Dinner at St. Ann’s hall begins at 5:30 p.m. to view auction items, dinner and auction begins at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $30 each or $55/couple at Iris and Bo Peep Boutique.
Visit the team’s Facebook page Authentic African Dinner and Auction for details.
