I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for a cute face. Perhaps that’s why I fell hard and fast for one of the first projects posted on the MISSIO platform – Purchase Supportive Medical Devices in Uganda. The first few photos posted by Project Leader Father Eugene Kalyango showed young children with disabilities using rudimentary orthopedic equipment for mobility.
As a “graduate” of several physical therapy programs myself, I am captivated by the ingenuity of some of the medical devices used by the team at Saint Vincent Pallotti Home in Masaka, Uganda. Among them were therapy parallel bars that had clearly been constructed by whittling tree branches of even lengths, assembling them and securing them to the dirt floor just outside the hospital.
When I learned the backstory on Father Eugene - that he was unable to walk as a child and his parents found help at a Catholic hospital in Uganda - I found the source of the passion of this mission priest, motivation clearly shared by the home's staff.
One little boy in particular captured my heart. Ndugwa Arnold could not walk because his legs were weakened due to an illness. Thanks to the work of Father Eugene and his team, the boy received therapy and strength training. Today, he walks unassisted. In fact, the MISSIO Team caught a glimpse Ndugwa take his first “solo” steps in a video shared by Father Eugene. The joyful expression on Ndugwa’s face affirmed my belief in the MISSIO platform and filled me with gratitude for the opportunity to work for the Pope’s missions.
I like to think of MISSIO as the “tiny flicker of light” that Pope Francis described in his recent TED Talk. A flicker of light that “feeds on hope and is enough to shatter a shield of darkness.”
Just imagine how bright the world would be if even more people joined with us in supporting the Pope's missions through MISSIO!
Patty's Picks: Highlighting MISSIO projects and project leaders that inspire, delight and ignite.
Hi there! I'm Patty from Team MISSIO! I left my life in the for-profit sector some 15 years ago to join the Pope's missions and haven't looked back since. My love of the Mission Church was inspired by my grandfather, an avid reader of both National Geographic and MISSION Magazine. I draw inspiration each and every day from the missionaries I meet who live their lives in service of the Gospel. Sign up for "Patty's Picks" - and I'll see you to share more soon!
