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Dear Friends, Partners, and well wishers of South Rwenzori Diocese

I am Jackson Nzerebende Tembo. The new Bishop of South Rwenzori Diocese.  I was Consecrated and Enthroned as 2nd Bishop of this Diocese, on Sunday, July 6th, 2003. My wife is Dorothy Nzerebende. God has blessed us with 5 children.  My wife and I were born and brought up in this area. I have been serving with the retired Bishop, Zebedee K. Masereka the last 19 years. I served in different capacities as Parish priest, College Principal, Diocesan Secretary, and Cathedral Dean.

Kasese District is part of the area occupied by Mount Rwenzori (the Mountains of the moon) in the South West of Uganda. It is at the frontier of the troubled Eastern DRC (Congo). Kasese has a population of 520.000 people of peasantry class. Unfortunately, social services started in the area late 1960's and 1970's on self-help basis led by the Church. The area missed the quality services of the British Colonial Government in Uganda (1894 - 1964). As a result, the schools and Health centres we have in the District are too few and of sub-standard!! About 80% of the able parents take their children to schools in other Districts for their education because there you find quality and well-stocked schools built before 1950's by the colonial governments and Church Missionary Society. Parents who are unable to meet the Education cost outside Kasese will send their children to the undeveloped schools in Kasese District.

The above historical factors explain why Kasese District has very few educated people. Illiteracy rate is still 60% (percent) in a population of 520.000 people. The local people trained as medical Doctors are less than 15. Veterinary Doctors are less than 10. Lawyers are less than 5, there is only one professor! There is no graduate in Pharmacist, etc. So, when the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out the destructive activities in Kasese between (1996 - 2001), it was like they were hitting the knees and Ankles of a baby who is learning to walk!!

During the insurgency period, over 150.000 people were displaced from their village homes. About 100.000 people lived in protected camps of displaced people for five years. Several schools and Health Centres were closed and some were looted and vandalized. Several people died in camps because they lacked enough food, drugs, shelter, and water. The moral fibre was greatly damaged. Poverty increased mainly because the peasants (producers) were transplanted from their homesteads and gardens, several trading centres were looted and burnt down. E.g. 52 vehicles and 5 buildings were destroyed in a single raid in Kasese (District town) a lone, hundreds of people, both adults and children were killed and others abducted. There is a total of 70 people who lost their legs after stepping on land mines. Plus many other eventualities.

This war was of barbaric nature. The rebels had no clear objectives i.e they attacked and killed both civilians and government soldiers.

Thank God, almost all camps have been dissolved. People have returned to their homes in the hills. They are working had to restore whatever was lost destroyed. We hope that peace will prevail not only here, but in the entire region of (Ituri) Eastern DR - Congo which has been the hide-out for ADF rebels.

Another major war now, in the District, is HIV/AIDS. The national statistics show that Kasese has the highest prevalence rate in the country.  During the last six years, a number of sex workers moved from other Districts and countries to Kasese to harvest money from the government soldiers, and the former employees of Kasese Cobalt Company. The hard life in camps, also forced many ladies to indulge in "sex for gain". Thus, HIV/AIDS spread and flourished in our Community. Currently, about 5 people die of HIV / AIDS every week.

Malaria is even worse than HIV/AIDS. About 20 children are killed by malaria every week in Kasese. At National level, it is estimated that each minute. A child is killed by malaria.

I thank you all for the link and friendship you have with South Rwenzori Diocese. Your prayers, support, and advices have enabled the Diocese to achieve a lot in the last 19 years. The services of the Church have and continued to make a change in peoples lives and their environment. This is through the Health, Education, Services and our Spiritual Ministry plus other programmers; as you might have noticed from the circular letter sent by Bishop Zebedee Masereka a couple of days ago.

However, our Diocese is still a jungle of both unattempted areas of need, and of started, but unaccomplished activities / programmes.  The needs of the people are quite many and real. But there are sufficient plans to meet many of these needs. We pray that the Lord will bless the Diocese with resources needed for the work.  The 60% illiteracy rate in our population is too high. The number of malaria patients still rank highest in all our Hospitals and Dispensaries.  Other major diseases include HIV/AIDS, Cholera on and off, etc.  Our population of 520,000 in the Diocese, is still pressed down by the effects of the 1996 - 2001 insurgency which covered the entire Diocese.  Counselling services are needed among all people at various levels in the communities to rehabilitate morals. Homesteads, schools, dispensaries, are being refurbished, restocked and re-staffed. The peasants are being equipped with skills to improve crop and animal farming. Other areas of focus in our current plans include:

(a) strengthening Mission and Evangelism by targeting individuals and families, schools, offices, and establishing permanent centres for children's Saturday evangelism activities. At such centres, children receive Christian teaching, Health education and medical examinations and treatment. They are also given balanced meals, clothes, books, games etc.

Their parents, / guardians get seminars to equip them with child care and family management skills.  A big graduation ceremony for graduates, and community voluntary service providers, has been scheduled for November 2003. All these people have been sponsored and trained by the Church.

(b) Campaigns against the spread of HIV/AIDS, and Malaria are in full gear through; Education and information, Promotion of safe practices and procedures, voluntary testing and counselling, and access to Health care services, promoting confidentiality of records and information, etc.

(c) COMMUNICATION: Messiah Radio 95.7 FM Ministry. This is a Church founded and owned Radio station in Kasese (home) town. It is a vital communication centre for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is used by Government and social workers to sensitize the 250,000 listeners on Health issues, Governance, Education, constitutionalism, Trade, Child care, Family life and Management, security, etc.

OUR CURRENT & IMMEDIATE PRESSING NEEDS

- Resources for the training of staff and their general facilitations.

- Resources to expand coverage of Messiah Radio from current 20km to 300km to reach 6.5 million people. The work need 45.789 dollars.

- A computer which is 1.5 Celeron or above processor, 30Gb hard drive or larger, Dedicated video card for about 128m6 of RAM which can cost about $1000 (US dollars) and a digital Camera to enable us effectively utilize our current website line for International communications with our friends and partners in Mission.

Wishing you every blessing.

In Christ's Service,

Rt. Rev. Jackson Nzerebende Tembo Bishop, South Rwenzori Diocese - Kasese - Uganda

Our full address:

Diocese of South Rwenzori

Church of Uganda

P. O. Box 142

Tel. 256.483.44132, Fax: 256.483.44850

Email: srd@infocom.co.ug

Web:www.srwenzoridiocese.org

Kasese-Uganda-East Africa