Medical Mission to Uganda
A Letter for Dr. Bevilacqua
A Letter for Dr. Bevilacqua
To My Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I would like to start by saying Thank You once again for your support!! I have been traveling to Uganda
since 2008 with Grace Fellowship Church in Latham to provide medical services to neighboring towns in remote rural
areas. As you may know the last 3 years have allowed me to travel and work side-by-side with my husband John
Bevilacqua, DO, a local pediatrician at Schoolhouse Road Pediatrics. Due to your generous support, we have been given
the opportunity to provide medical care to hundreds who would normally be unable to afford routine medical care in
Buzika, Pallisa and Masese, Uganda – all areas in desperate need of our services. How fortunate we are to be working
with such a special population of children and an amazing community that is working hard to improve their health and their
lives! This year we are blessed to expand our services to another small village outside of Jinja called Kikaramoja, which
is a women’s community in a very impoverished area. With Pastor Isaac’s guidance, we plan is to help provide simple
needs of dried food and personal need items, with the hopes of evaluating the ability to provide mobile clinic services in
the future.
We are honored to be hosted by a very special organization, Canaan Orphanage, founded by an amazing individual,
Pastor Isaac Wagaba. Unfortunately, during the 1970’s, while Uganda was under rebellion rule, all Christian churches in
the country were closed and burned, their pastors severely persecuted and sometimes murdered. He narrowly escaped
death, and since that time, has made it his mission to rebuild the country’s faith hand-in-hand with his community. What
started with he and his wife, Rebecca, supporting two abandoned children has turned into a growing, vibrant orphanage,
church and home for destitute children in Buzika, Uganda. Pastor Isaac’s own son, Samuel, followed in his father’s
footsteps and was crucial in starting a church and orphanage in Pallisa, in Northern Uganda. The Canaan Orphanage
group continues to support the impoverished throughout the country year-round, and we feel fortunate to give our aid to
them and their newly built clinic in any way that we can, even for only a few days each year.
While I do not have strong religious ties, I feel a very strong duty to humanity; my dream is to give as much as I can to
those in need of care. In my last nine trips to Uganda, I have been deeply touched by the strength and kindness of the
people in the small Ugandan communities of Buzika, Masese, and Pallisa. These areas can benefit from the aid and
support we give them long after we are gone, and building the community is imperative to its success - continued visits
will do nothing but help it to flourish. One former student/orphan from Canaan, Enoch who is now a nurse/nurse-midwife,
will be with me again this year, he has committed his time every year to be with us in the clinic to help and interpret for us.
While I speak with Enoch to stay in contact with the orphanage and address medical concerns remotely at this time, I can
envision the day when he and the others in the clinic will serve the clinic independently and no longer need our services,
hopefully in the not-too-distant future. This has been a tremendous step.
Looking forward, this year will be just as important, by identifying areas and communities that we can help with small acts
of kindness and hopefully medical care in the future, it will enable them to grow and get stronger.
Again, I am asking for your help.
These communities in Uganda still need your assistance; because of your ongoing generosity, we treated over one
hundred patients a day on our last trip we were able to add an extra day in the clinic and for the first time ever, we did not
have to turn anyone away!!!! John and I will be joined by a team of volunteers who will help in the clinic, providing
medications and eye glasses as well. Many people will continue to need treatment for malaria, typhoid, syphilis and other
infectious diseases. Many will need minor surgical procedures, care for long standing illness and obstetrical care.
Will you help us buy medicine and supplies for the clinics at the orphanages? The more money we are able to
raise, the more care we will be able to offer, both during this trip and after we leave.
Thank you for giving these children and these communities the opportunity of health and a longer life. If you can help,
please send your tax deductible donations to me at 1882 New Scotland Rd, Suite 200, Slingerlands, NY 12159, make
your check out to “Grace Fellowship” and write Africa Medical May/June 2018 in the memo field. I can’t tell you how much
I appreciate your ongoing support!
My heart felt thanks to all,
Lisa Bevilacqua, DO
Happy New Year! I would like to start by saying Thank You once again for your support!! I have been traveling to Uganda
since 2008 with Grace Fellowship Church in Latham to provide medical services to neighboring towns in remote rural
areas. As you may know the last 3 years have allowed me to travel and work side-by-side with my husband John
Bevilacqua, DO, a local pediatrician at Schoolhouse Road Pediatrics. Due to your generous support, we have been given
the opportunity to provide medical care to hundreds who would normally be unable to afford routine medical care in
Buzika, Pallisa and Masese, Uganda – all areas in desperate need of our services. How fortunate we are to be working
with such a special population of children and an amazing community that is working hard to improve their health and their
lives! This year we are blessed to expand our services to another small village outside of Jinja called Kikaramoja, which
is a women’s community in a very impoverished area. With Pastor Isaac’s guidance, we plan is to help provide simple
needs of dried food and personal need items, with the hopes of evaluating the ability to provide mobile clinic services in
the future.
We are honored to be hosted by a very special organization, Canaan Orphanage, founded by an amazing individual,
Pastor Isaac Wagaba. Unfortunately, during the 1970’s, while Uganda was under rebellion rule, all Christian churches in
the country were closed and burned, their pastors severely persecuted and sometimes murdered. He narrowly escaped
death, and since that time, has made it his mission to rebuild the country’s faith hand-in-hand with his community. What
started with he and his wife, Rebecca, supporting two abandoned children has turned into a growing, vibrant orphanage,
church and home for destitute children in Buzika, Uganda. Pastor Isaac’s own son, Samuel, followed in his father’s
footsteps and was crucial in starting a church and orphanage in Pallisa, in Northern Uganda. The Canaan Orphanage
group continues to support the impoverished throughout the country year-round, and we feel fortunate to give our aid to
them and their newly built clinic in any way that we can, even for only a few days each year.
While I do not have strong religious ties, I feel a very strong duty to humanity; my dream is to give as much as I can to
those in need of care. In my last nine trips to Uganda, I have been deeply touched by the strength and kindness of the
people in the small Ugandan communities of Buzika, Masese, and Pallisa. These areas can benefit from the aid and
support we give them long after we are gone, and building the community is imperative to its success - continued visits
will do nothing but help it to flourish. One former student/orphan from Canaan, Enoch who is now a nurse/nurse-midwife,
will be with me again this year, he has committed his time every year to be with us in the clinic to help and interpret for us.
While I speak with Enoch to stay in contact with the orphanage and address medical concerns remotely at this time, I can
envision the day when he and the others in the clinic will serve the clinic independently and no longer need our services,
hopefully in the not-too-distant future. This has been a tremendous step.
Looking forward, this year will be just as important, by identifying areas and communities that we can help with small acts
of kindness and hopefully medical care in the future, it will enable them to grow and get stronger.
Again, I am asking for your help.
These communities in Uganda still need your assistance; because of your ongoing generosity, we treated over one
hundred patients a day on our last trip we were able to add an extra day in the clinic and for the first time ever, we did not
have to turn anyone away!!!! John and I will be joined by a team of volunteers who will help in the clinic, providing
medications and eye glasses as well. Many people will continue to need treatment for malaria, typhoid, syphilis and other
infectious diseases. Many will need minor surgical procedures, care for long standing illness and obstetrical care.
Will you help us buy medicine and supplies for the clinics at the orphanages? The more money we are able to
raise, the more care we will be able to offer, both during this trip and after we leave.
Thank you for giving these children and these communities the opportunity of health and a longer life. If you can help,
please send your tax deductible donations to me at 1882 New Scotland Rd, Suite 200, Slingerlands, NY 12159, make
your check out to “Grace Fellowship” and write Africa Medical May/June 2018 in the memo field. I can’t tell you how much
I appreciate your ongoing support!
My heart felt thanks to all,
Lisa Bevilacqua, DO
