The Community of Sant'Egidio organised a Medical Camp immediately after the celebration of Easter in the densely populated district of Katwe in Kampala. It is addressed in particular to children and women. More than 200 of them have received this free medical assistance.
The Community has a School of Peace in Katwe where children - often forced to beg during the week - can enjoy a 'normal' childhood, studying and playing just like their peers.
The Medical Camp - which Sant'Egidio has been trying to set up on a regular basis with the collaboration of some volunteers - is not designed to substitute the health system, but to bring basic medical care to this poor and marginal neighbourhood for people who normally have no access to health care.
Most beneficiaries have been children, together with their mothers. Many of them are malnourished and this severely affects their health and growth. Even a trivial illness, such as a cold, can have very serious consequences especially among the youngest, between 6 months and 2 years of age,.
The medical camp is also a chance for mothers to ask for advice, to get help to protect the lives of their little ones. Much has still to be done, yet the confidence that the Community's presence is not merely an episode, but a story of friendship, inspires hope. As one of the mothers who received assistance said: "Sant'Egidio has taught us the meaning of the word fidelity".
