Poole woman urges people to send smiles to orphans in Uganda (From Bournemouth Echo)

Poole woman urges people to send smiles to orphans in Uganda

3:00pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 in News

A POOLE woman is urging people to send a smile to orphans in Uganda.

Sherry Lumber, a 21-year-old receptionist, was inspired to continue helping the people she met while doing voluntary work in the African country.

Sherry worked with CALM Africa’s (Children’s rights Advocacy and Lobby Mission Africa) mobile health clinic to supply the orphaned children and families she encountered with food and mosquito nets.

Witnessing the shocking living conditions inhabited by the people of Ugandan district, Wakiso demonstrated to her that there was still more work to be done.

“There was a family that we visited, eight of them lived in a one bedroom house with one mattress, holes in their mosquito net and a toilet outside for everyone to see them use,” she said.

During her two week visit, Sherry was stunned to see the children so happy with so little. Sherry said: “On the Oxfam appeals the people you see are always crying and upset but when you are out there it is different. They always had a smile on their face.”

Sherry is now on to her next charitable venture, Smile with a Message, a heart warming campaign encouraging the general public to send in photographs of themselves, holding up a message of hope.

The photos will be displayed in an album and sent to the children she met, as a Christmas gift to make those smiles a little wider. “It is something for the kids to open up on Christmas to show that everybody supports them and a good way of raising money at the same time,” she said.

With a target of 500 photographs to be collected before Christmas, Smile with a Message welcomes contributions.

The wackier and more colourful the better. Send them to slumbertravels@gmail.com Those wishing to make a donation via JustTextGiving text MHCU13 £2 to 70070