The OWLS (Older Wiser Lutherans) and St. John’s Youth will be working this Lenten season on a very worthwhile ministry. Sole Hope is an organization which helps children and adults in Uganda rid themselves of “jiggers” (not “chiggers” as we know them), which embed themselves in their feet and can cause inflammation, ulceration, gangrene, and even amputation. The jiggers are a small sand flea found in Sub-Saharan climates. The female, once inside the foot, lays eggs which can multiply. These words are very painful and cause difficulties for victims in daily activities, such as: walking, playing, and going to school.
Sole Hope has set up clinics throughout Uganda to treat and educate the people there. Once at the clinic, feet are washed and jiggers removed with safety pins or in the worst of cases, razor blades. The wounds are then bandaged and each person is given a new pair of shoes and educated on how to care for their feet, as well as receiving a care kit which includes safety pins, antibiotic ointment, bandaids, and alcohol wipes. Currently they have enough shoe material but are in need of these kits.
During Lent, we will be asking for donations of care kit supplies as well as monetary donations. Each kit requires a $2.00 donation to help defray the costs of the additional supplies that Sole Hope furnishes. Checks can be made out to “St. John’s Lutheran Church” with a note in the memo line “SOLE Hope.” For the care kits, we are collecting: bandaids (assorted sizes), mid-size safety pins, alcohol wipes, small tubes of antibiotic ointment, sealable sandwich bags, and quart size bags.
Throughout Lent, there will be display boards in the north entrance and LINK area that you can visit to see what items are needed most. There are also collection boxes to drop of donations. For more information, please contact Linda Diehl at 614-906-1408.
