Bikers ride over 350kms seeking support for vulnerable Lira babies

Pearl bikers Saturday rode over 350kms in a solidarity campaign in which they seek global support to ensure provision of better facilities to dozens of vulnerable children at Lira Babies’ Home.

Ugandan bike enthusiasts identifying themselves as Pearl Bikers Africa said the financial support is for “rehabilitation of dilapidated structures at the home of the orphaned and abandoned children.”

The bikers, who are united by passion to ride, also delivered 41 bags of cement to give facelift to the childcare home started in 1968.

“We call upon and, seek partnerships and support from all like-minded people and entities in Uganda and around the world, asking that you join us in the quest to ride for this purpose and many more to come which, in so doing, we aspire will re-ignite the true embodiment of humanity in action,” said Pearl Bikers Africa secretary general Leonard Francis Were.

The structures, whose refurbishment still requires additional Shs85 million, almost collapsed on 53 children, prompting the management to shift them to a kitchen, according to the babies’ home official Leone Odyek.

“To complete the rehabilitation of the main house, we still need Shs38, 807,000 and Shs11, 625,000 for the completion of the kitchen, while Shs42, 238, 000 is required for compound pavers,” he said.

Lira Babies’ Home in charge Sr Frances Demmy said they have four categories of vulnerable children. They include emergency cases, orphaned, abandoned and children born to mentally sick mothers.    

The home receives babies as young as a day-old, takes care of them until age three when they are discharged. 

“We are very grateful that people here (Lango Sub-region) are still interested in adopting these children to continue the care because for us we receive them when they come,” she observed. 

She appealed for further community support to the orphanage.  

“We need everything but food items and medical are crucial, and in a month, we need about Shs7million to cater for the babies, but we end up getting less than Shs6million,” Sr Demmy said, adding that “although founded by the Catholic Church, the home serves children of God from all walks of life.”

“We don’t change their religion,” she emphasized.

According to the American Bar Association, children entering the foster care system are a highly vulnerable population who suffer from high rates of chronic health conditions, including malnutrition and other food-related problems, which underlines need for critical support to the babies’ home.

Their study further shows that about 20 per cent of children in foster care are of short stature, a possible sign of malnourishment due to neglect, with an additional 6 per cent to 10 per cent of infants and toddlers meeting criteria for failure to thrive.