A Grandmother's Gift It’s very likely that Engeye would still be a dream were it not for Hildegard Franz, pictured here with her husband Bernhard in 1989. Hilda was a German immigrant who brought her family from the former East Germany to West Berlin in 1956 and then to Portland Oregon in 1966. Hilda passed away in 2005 and left her granddaughter Stephanie -- Engeye’s founder -- with a $30,000 inheritance. After briefly pondering more prudent investment options – options that would help to ease the burden of post-medical school debts -- it became clear to Stephanie that there was only one choice that would effectively honor her grandmother’s memory and bring her own dream to fruition by the summer of 2006 which was her last free summer for the foreseeable future. With the addition of a $10,000 gift from her parents, Jeff and Heidi Van Dyke, the funding was now in place to build the clinic structure and two volunteer residences. Stephanie and her parents, along with three volunteers, set off for Uganda in August of 2006 to lay the groundwork for what would be the Engeye Medical Clinic – The first medical resource ever for the inhabitants of Ddegeye Village. June 2006 - July 2006With the leadership of engineers Gary Arnold and Remegious Mutono, we and 50 villagers constructed Engeye Health Clinic and two on-site volunteer houses.    July 2006 As the departure date for our summer's mission came closer, we were fortunate to have two volunteers join our team. Our first priority for the summer was transferring the title for the clinic land from the previous owner to John's name. Once that was accomplished, we determined which part of the 5 acre parcel would be utilized for the clinic site. Machetes in hand, we cleared the site of a mix of banana trees, coffee trees, and maize. A crew of 50 local villagers then were hired to begin the process of leveling, digging, and building. The completion date for the clinic and three volunteer buildings is expected to be in late August 2006. Distributed mosquito nets to Ddegeya Village.    |
