The support we received and which became the foundation of today's clinic (2000-2005)
The support that the founding committee provides to the clinic is partly financial but to a far more critical extent it is the time spent with the employees of the clinic and their professional input to the development of the clinic. The benefits from a committee comprising teachers, business people, elected representatives of the people, building managers and financial managers has already been apparent. However, the Friends of Hope Clinic is far wider than just the committee and the medical staff.

The Friends of Hope Clinic Lukuli - individuals
The founding in 2000 presented a challenge that there were so many things that needed to be improved or replaced and simply not enough time or money to do them all. The Friends of Dowden, P Borland and the Parish of St. Thomas More in Finsbury Park, UK was able to support us during our first year under the new management by providing the necessary funding (Shs 7 million) to help with the internal partitioning of the clinic. They also took the initiative to ‘sponsor’ the clinical officer for a year thereby enabling funding to be made available for drug and equipment purchases.

Health Volunteers Overseas, in the person of Sandy Logue, helped us in 2003 with the provision of baby resuscitation training. She was linked to the clinic through the Uganda coordinator for HVO, based at the Mulago Hospital, Orthopaedic Dept. Related to this we received from Mrs Jilly McMinn, a supporter in the UK, funding to purchase an Ambu-bag which can be a life-saving but simple tool to ensure that newborn babies have sufficient air just after delivery to safeguard against brain damage after a long delivery. Linking this to the training by Sandy has helped several babies.

We have been supported by people staying in Uganda and those leaving after an enjoyable stay. Tony and Rhona Breese have kindly donated a lump sum with which we completed the set of medical instruments for the primary delivery room. Adalina and fellow members of the International Women's Organisation (IWO) in Kampala gave a grant for the delivery bed and a patient bed including locker and drip stand.

Chuck Wilson and Julia Martin have supported us in so many ways; including technical forms, timely reassurance and several financial donations. We are very grateful and as with all those who express an interest in the clinic we stay in touch through an update bulletin even after the leave Uganda. Glenda Martin, a retired nurse from Canada, was visiting her daughter, Julia, and family in Uganda and was able to spend time with our medical and administrative staff to help them streamline their medical reporting and patient management records. Thanks to Glenda and Julia we have set up the patients’ card system and have detailed statistical data for the Divisional officers and the Ministry of Health.

We have also been supported by individual households with donations for particular parts of our service, such as midwifery from Mr &Mrs de Meneze, or laboratory services from Mrs Lockwood. Cecilia and John Whelan and Mr & Mrs Mugan have made one off pledges whereas others prefer a standing order arrangement.

The Friends of Hope Clinic Lukuli - organisations and fellow implementers
The UK charity, Hope for Children, has responded to our request for a grant and provided GBP840 to enable us to provide health advice to the poorer youth in our ares including homeless and those at risk from exploitation.

Through Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO-UK) we have begun a link with Dr Tania John who is based at Mulago, the main teaching hospital in Kampala. She is spending part of her time on the Ministry of Health COBES programme of community based education and we expect the new Hope Clinic facilities to be a base for that outreach.

The Aids Information Centre (AIC) agreed in 2004 to help the clinic develop its Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services which AIC already provided from their main office at Mengo in Kampala. Following an initial tour of the clinic and the new facility under construction they agreed to a twice-a-month programme whereby AIC brought their counsellors, lab technician and testing staff and spent a whole day with the community around Hope Clinic Lukuli. On 29 June 2004 we had our first AIC testing day which was very successful, with over 40 people being tested by mid-afternoon, compared to 100 that the established AIC offices see per day. It was very encouraging that the population's interest in their HIV status could be served by our clinic and we appreciate the work by AIC in serving that demand.