300 children come out of hiding to get a bed

From: Madelene Metcalf

My favorite treasure I take from a mission journey with Sweet Sleep is when God reveals to me another piece to the puzzle that explains how He is using Sweet Sleep to share his love with orphaned and abandoned children around the world.  Today, as we spoke to our partner, Health Alert Uganda, vital pieces of that puzzle were put together for me.  

When Health Alert began working with children and pregnant women in the communities of Gulu, Uganda it was like “manna from heaven”; never before had children been tested for HIV, nor did people understand how children were getting HIV.  When Health Alert began in 2005 they had 65 clients.  Now that number is in the thousands and it continues to rise, thanks in large part to the incentive of receiving a Sweet Sleep bed, Bible and mosquito net.

Sweet Sleep first partnered with Health Alert this past summer.  By the end of the week we saw 300 children come out of hiding living with HIV to register with Health Alert in hopes of receiving a bed, Bible and mosquito net.  Now they are receiving ARV drugs.  They told us they used to treat 10 cases of malaria a month but since Sweet Sleep came to Gulu there have been virtually no cases of malaria.  But she said the best part of the Sweet Sleep gift is the Bible because before these children saw death as the only way out of this disease they were suffering from, but now that they have the Bible they know there is MORE than death.  They have LIFE in Christ.  

With every day that passes, 350 children die of HIV/AIDS in Uganda.  Last summer when we were in Gulu we learned an 8 year old girl named Liberty had died the day before she was to receive her Sweet Sleep bed, after having contracted Malaria three days earlier.  By the end of this week we anticipate hundreds of children will be newly registered with Health Alert.  Every day that passes until we can return to provide them with a bed is a day that they remain unprotected from malaria and other opportunistic diseases.  Therefore we will be providing a mosquito net to each child who registers with Health Alert this week.  We ask that you share your love and provide God’s love today by partnering with us to provide mosquito nets to these children.  Eight dollars protects a child and gives them the TIME they need to wait for us to return this summer to provide the rest of their bed.  Go to www.sweetsleep.org and click DONATE.  At the bottom of the screen enter GULU NETS in the comments box and save a child from Liberty’s fate today. 

Give a Net Now
Sweet Sleep is distributing 1300 beds this week but crowds of people have come out of hiding on to register and receive beds. They will have to wait until our teams return this summer. We are committed to giving the children a life-saving net NOW. Will you help us make this possible by donating at least $8 today to www.sweetsleep.org/donate. Note "Gulu net" in the comments box.