It was all smiles and joy when inmates and caregivers of the Mother of Mercy Babies Home at Sirigu in the Upper East Region were treated to a New Year's get-together by the Rlg Foundation; the social investment and charity arm of device manufacturers, Rlg Communications Group, early this month.

The Babies’ Home, also known as the Sirigu Orphanage is operated by the local Roman Catholic Church as a dedicated facility for a number of children whose parents are either no more or were abandoned by their families on suspicion that they are spirit children, a common deep-rooted socio-cultural phenomenon in the Kansena Nankana District.

The Rlg Foundation adopted the Home in 2011 following a Joy FM story lamenting the challenge of catering for abandoned and orphaned children in the area, and has since been supporting it through financial and material assistance.

In 2013, the Foundation presented a double cabin pick-up to the home to replace a broken down one.

The Foundation has been making monthly financial contributions towards the running of the home.

It also constructed three boreholes to aid the provision of potable water for use by the home and the community.

Mr Malcolm Frazier, handing over assorted items to Fr. Moldana

At this year’s get-together, inmates of the home and their caregivers enjoyed their favourite food and drinks and entertained themselves.

The Foundation later presented assorted items including provisions for the upkeep of the inmates.

Manager of the Foundation, Malcolm Frazier said as a company whose passion is driven by the love for humanity, Rlg through the Foundation will continue to help the home to ensure life becomes more meaningful for the innocent children there.

He commended caregivers and the Roman Catholic Mission for “making orphaned and abandoned children the center of their focus”.

The Parish Priest of the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Jacob Moldana said but for interventions such as those from the Rlg Foundation, operations of the home would have ground to a halt.

He therefore lauded the Foundation for what he described as an “immense support to the home over the last five years”.

Rev. Sis. Innocentia Debpuur who is in-charge of the home said the GHc1,500 monthly contribution from the Rlg Foundation over the past years has made life much easier for both the children and their caregivers, saying “your money is used to run this home; buy fuel, pay workers, food and virtually everything”.