Conflict survivor. Abducted by rebel forces and escaped after 8 years in captivity.

I am so grateful to send you this mail. I have finished my exams today and will be going for holidays back to Gulu soon. It was a busy year and at last come to the end of first year. I am so grateful for all the support you are giving me. I send my greetings to you and everyone. Gretta Scholar 2^nd year.

AIDS orphan from village called Buuobot Ochi up-country Uganda.

We have come to the end of the academic 2010/2011 and would like to send my sincere gratitude to the almighty God for all the care and protection he has always been giving us. Secondly I would like to bring to your notice that the semester has been very fine and we have finished all the examinations and will give you results as soon as they are ready. I would love to request you and all the other donors to continue giving us the help that we need to see us through our education. We are grateful to all of you. Wishing you all the best in whatever you do. Gretta Scholar 2^nd year.

Daughter of peasant farmers from Mbale, Uganda.

I hope you are fine over there. I have just finished my last exam for this semester…It has been a long semester with a lot of work, however, I have successfully completed my results for the whole academic year.
This scholarship has helped to achieve my career of being a nurse. I am now seeing this bright feature ahead of me. During the semester, we had two months in class and two months practicing what we learnt in class on the ward. For what I learnt and practiced this semester, I feel I am a professional.
In Mulago Hospital, I was able to:

· work on the special care unit where I learnt how to take care of newborn babies who have conditions asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome.

· take care of patients who have undergone surgery and those who are to go for surgery, also to deal with an emergency condition on the surgical ward. Patients on this ward have conditions like; intestinal obstruction, fractures, large wound with gangrene, even some cancer patients after surgery. This reminded me of the nurse who inspired me to be a nurse in my childhood. she actually died of breast cancer.

· take care of patients with infectious diseases, basing on the principles of infection control, including barrier nursing. These patients include tuberculosis patients, tetanus patients, HIV patients with opportunistic infections due to very low immunity.

· take care of malnourished children.

· carry out the regular immunization against the six killer diseases for the children below 5 year. I also I did vaccine management.

· carry out all the family planning methods in Uganda. These included inserting Norplant, intrauterine devices, oral contraceptives, injectable s, giving out condoms, and lastly giving health talks and counseling clients on matters of reproduction.

· I was also able to carry out cervical cancer screening on this ward.

I am proud to be a nurse, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you " MEG" and all those who are generously contributing all that they offer to support this programme. You are really improving health care in our country. You cannot imagine that at the moment, you find only 3 nurses on a ward of about 90 patients in our main referral hospital. I tell you the situation is so demanding here. We the students whom you are supporting now are ready to work and improve the image quality and quantity of nursing care in Uganda.

I will be leaving for holidays next week, i intend to work with some organisation in our home district where they particularly deal with HIV and Tuberculosis patients. This is to improve on my nursing career and to also keep me busy during the long holiday as I give back to my society what I have learnt. I will be up dating you of what will be happening to me.

With lots of love.

Long-time HIV program volunteer from Masaka.

I really apologise for the long time minus any communication from me but I have been a little caught up with my program where I have been preparing for my end of academic year exams, however I have completed my final paper today.

Meg, I would love to take this opportunity to thank you more for being in my life as my parent and more like a mother to me. Please thank you very much for the endless support you offer to me every time day and minute. Now I’m completing my 2nd year of study I and my family are very happy and proud of you and your mercy of all people to grant me this opportunity.

I really don't know how much I should express my sincere gratitude to you but to me very day is a change in my life because of your support and I will always say thank you. I have now started seeing my dreams come true and I really like it when I get opportunity to help the sick in hospitals and at-least do something in their lives.

PLEASE KEEP UP THAT SPIRIT IN YOU. GOD KNOWS HOW PRECIOUS HE WILL PAY YOU. Gretta Scholar 3^rd year.

Conflict survivor with widowed mother in Gulu.

I just want to say I am so grateful for all you have done to me in all aspect of life. From where I was not making any step you pull to make steps. Where I was not seeing any better life, you made me to see, where and what I did believe you made me to believe. You supported me always and you are beside me to make sure that everything goes on well as far as academic and our well-being issues are concerned. The semester went on well with nothing bad. The exams was not all that bad and even the test was also fair. I wanted to say a word before we depart for the holidays and not forgetting to send you regards from my family's members especially my mum who said THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR SUPPORT. May the Lord bless you.

THANKS…..Gretta Scholar 2^nd year.

Hi Everyone!

We are starting to get news from our scholars! It is a very exciting time for them. Please read and enjoy the posts below. Keep them in your thoughts.

Daughter of widow living in urban Kampala.

I know it has been so long since you got updates from me, my apologies! I am on holiday now. I am back during this long break.

Mum always gets teary eyed whenever she talks about my progress in school and how grateful she is for Gretta foundation; for she can now be able to support my siblings who are still in school too without having to worry about me. This might sound funny, but, surprisingly she has put on a little weight. Thank you for the great work you are doing. My family really appreciates!

As I had earlier on told you, we did several clinical-specialty courses and practicum last semester. Nursing specialties define the complexity of nursing as a profession. Here knowledge and proficiency are required, for example, in oncology and cardiology nursing. This opened my eyes as to why we need baccalaureate training of nurses. I found almost all areas intriguing after we rotated in different specialist departments and institutes. Hospice Uganda is one of the best hospices in Africa.

I learned that it is important for a patient to receive care from a confident nurse. I have also learned to serve, love and care however much complex the patient's condition is. As a matter of fact, I always take a minute or two to explain the important work nurses do whenever I encounter people who do not understand or understate what nursing is.

I was among our university representatives this year on the International Nurses Day celebrations at Butabika hospital. As I reflected upon those events I am inspired by how you (the TGF team) joined efforts to make me become part of the national nurses workforce, which is no doubt, the back bone of Uganda’s healthcare delivery system.

I am so much looking forward to my final year, especially the research project.

Thank you, and the team for seeing me through the previous academic year. I cannot go without saying I am a proud Gretta scholar!

Warm regards…..Gretta Scholar 4^th year.