The power of healing

Ten years ago, Marian Vaughan was seriously ill with breast cancer but the whole experience made her go to volunteer in Uganda. She explains why.

I was working as a health visitor, and my husband Mark, is a GP. We have been working in a medical centre and running pop-up clinics in Soroti Uganda in poor and disadvantaged communities.

My son, Geraint, went there to film a maternity centre being built by EFOD (Engineers for Overseas Development) as part of his degree course. This experience had a huge impact on him and he came back in shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops in November with an empty bag. He had given away all his possessions, and said - "Mum, Dad, they have nothing and you have to go and help".

Volunteering in Uganda has been a way of giving back and a way for me to say thank you for being here.

We go to Uganda with the Christian charity SaltPeter which was founded by a couple from Cardiff over twenty years ago. There are two parts to the charity - EFOD (Engineers for Overseas Development) who build clinics and schools or install water supplies etc. and also SaltPeter who work to keep EFOD's buildings sustainable. We work in a medical centre in Soroti.

The word Soroti means rock – “Salt Rock” and the word Petros in Greek means Peter as well as the word for “Rock”. This is why Jesus changed Simon's name to "Peter the Rock" and this is how the name "SaltPeter" came about.

SaltPeter supports several projects in Uganda and the ethos of the charity has been based on Matthew 25 verse 40 -

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

We travel to Soroti twice a year, and were very fortunate to receive grants from the Welsh Government through the Wales and Africa scheme to run our clinics.

We take medical equipment with us and a friend who is an ophthalmologist has bought us hundreds of reading glasses. Religion is very important in Uganda and we use the Bible to test their eyesight. Seeing their smiles is priceless as they are able to read their Bible once again. Cataract surgery was arranged for at least 60 patients.

A team of six went to Uganda in January and held pop-up clinics in the depths of Uganda and we saw and treated over two thousand people. lZoom meetings are held to ensure follow-up and further treatment.

We are also sponsoring a young man called Charlie who was abducted as a child soldier by the Lord's Resistance Army. He is in his first year at university. His faith is very important to him and he believes that he has been saved by God.

We work hard all year raising money, and we pay our own expenses to travel to Uganda.

If you would like to contribute to our work through the SaltPeter charity please use the address below.

https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/10755