Lira, Uganda – The Pakistan business community in Lira City, led by Muhammad Atiq Nawaz, today donated items worth UGX 1.5 million to Lira Babies Home Ngetta.
This annual initiative aims to support orphaned and abandoned children housed at the facility, which has long been a refuge for vulnerable babies from across northern Uganda and beyond.
The donated supplies included posho, rice, beans, sugar, milk, toys, among others for the children.
While handing over the items on 10 January, 2025, Nawaz, President of Lira Pakistan Association, said the donation was part of their efforts to give back to the community.
“We are happy to support these children. It is our duty to help those in need and we will continue to do so whenever possible,” Nawaz said.
He also promised that the Pakistani community would provide more support in the future, especially by helping solve the water problems at the home.
“Helping such children is a divine duty,” Nawaz said.
“God always rewards those who help the orphaned, and we are happy to start the year by giving back to the community.”
Nawaz noted that they have been repairing boreholes in Lira and other districts like Dokolo, Oyam and Otuke to improve access to clean water.
Established in 1968 by the late Sister Candida Righeti, a Comboni Missionary Sister, Lira Babies Home has provided care to abandoned and orphaned children for over five decades.
Sister Frances Demmy, the lead caretaker, shared a moving account of the categories of children they care for.
These include babies abandoned in unsafe places like bushes, rubbish pits, and toilets, or those rescued from mentally ill mothers. Others are orphans with no family to care for them, brought in after assessments by probation officers.
Currently, the home looks after nine children with efforts underway to find homes for them but faces challenges such as food shortages and lack of clean water.
Sister Frances explained that while they once cared for 37 children, some have since been reunited with relatives or transferred to other homes like God Helps Uganda in Lira, St. Clare in Oyam, SOS Children’s Village in Gulu, and St. Mugaga in Jinja.
Despite the noble work being done, Sister Frances acknowledged the challenges the home faces, particularly in welfare and funding.
“We have no permanent donor. The community around us has become our main supporter, and we thank everyone who has contributed, especially during the renovation of the home,” she said.
She specifically lauded UTC Lira City, whose students volunteered en masse to provide labor during the renovation, as well as local benefactors who supplied food for the volunteers.
Sister Frances appealed to other well-wishers to join in supporting the home to ensure a better future for the children because the home still struggles with food and medical supplies for children, many of whom are brought in sick or malnourished.
This donation by the Pakistan business community is expected to improve the welfare of the children at Lira Babies Home.
She also highlighted the importance of respecting the religious and cultural backgrounds of the children, stating that while the home is Catholic-founded, they care for children from all faiths without discrimination.
As the visit concluded, Nawaz and his team played with the children, distributing toys and sharing smiles, a symbol of hope and compassion.
The event was also covered by local media, who were thanked by Nawaz for their continued support in raising awareness of such charitable causes.
With such generous contributions and unwavering community support, Lira Babies Home continues to stand as a beacon of hope for the region’s most vulnerable children over the years because it has relied on donations and goodwill from well-wishers to meet the needs of the children.
