2011: Penny O'Bee

The Mary Stott Award recognises the individual achievement of an NWR member. In 2011 Penny O'Bee was awarded the quaich for her work in Africa, having been nominated by the Tadley NWR group.

Before Penny married she had run a hospital dispensary in Kenya and this gave her some background (after updating on Aids Care at the Mildmay Hospital) to accept an invitation to meet a group of Ugandans who had come together to try and help their own people, especially vulnerable children. The country has two million orphans for a start! So activities began which she co-ordinated from her then home near Kampala.

It proved an ideal situation for young people in Tadley to help in another culture. Three groups have been, each for a month, and gained much from working with the Ugandans in different places. Some adults have also built excellent relationships and they go to serve regularly, using the different their skills we have e.g. two post grad students who built a wheelchair from bicycle parts for a child with spina bifida.

There are several projects still in progress: Adonai Family (contact at: adonai_childdevelopmentcentre@yahoo.com ) is the most advanced as a registered Non-Governmental Authority. It runs a primary school and works in the community especially supporting grannies that have nursed their own children and are left to bring up orphaned grandchildren. These women are amazing and tired, usually very poor. There is an orphanage for those children who have no family or care. 65 children are currently sponsored here through Adonai UK (contact Adonai_uk@btinternet.com) which has just raised money for land where a vocational school can be set up. This will produce enough food for the project in two to three years.

Two other schools receive regular help. There is a link with a U.K. infant's school that built latrines and provide a midday meal, others help by teaching, building and sponsorship. Volunteers travel within the country teaching role-leaders such things as community health, family planning, nutrition, parenting and marriage courses and Brief Encounters for those trying to help with relationship problems. Some also teach and help in various churches. Dental safaris have also been set up with final year students from the teaching hospital in Kampala.

Penny's time spent with an African peace-making team in Karamoja was an opportunity for her to observe and consider how Adonai might begin a pilot study to help the Karamojong off the streets of Kampala. Penny found living in an open compound in her own grass hut sharing the vicissitudes of life with the people, newly settled and trying to live by farming was a very enlightening and rewarding experience.

As a result Adonai Family is now looking for land where a couple of families can be settled together and trained in agriculture and other income generating projects. Two young boys, severely malnourished have been taken into the orphanage. Plans are underway to work with a church in Iriiri, Karamoja to help prevent some migration to the big cities.

Penny thanked her group for their nomination and support.