In 2005, Renske Bakker was ready to do some volunteer work. She had saved enough free days to go somewhere and make a change for seven weeks. The first organisation she went to, had some work, but not in Africa, where she really wanted to go. Fortunately she stumbled upon the website of Noah’s Ark through an acquaintance, and they loved to have her for seven weeks in Uganda.
Noah’s Ark aims to be a home for children to become a somebody out of a nobody. They are home to many children, some of which are literally cast away. But there is much more. The school is attended by 250 children from the region, and in 2012 the secondary school they’re building now will open its doors. Next to that, the organisation runs a clinic, where they help many women to deliver their children. In the whole of Uganda, 500 women die in child labor each month, so having a well-equipped and well-staffed clinic is very important.
For Renske, Uganda was a place of opportunity. But the second she met the children at Noah’s Ark, she fell in love. And during her work there, she found out how much she could make a difference with her education as medical analist. She returned to the Netherlands after her seven weeks, but couldn’t get Uganda off her mind. So she went back to Noah’s Ark to be with the children there and help in any way she can.
Currently, Renske is working in the medical lab and runs the part of the orphanage that takes care of the smallest children (up until 18 months). She trains the staff in how to care for babies, and how important it is for their development to love them. Something that is not a given in Uganda, where taking care of children is simply not a priority. She hopes that with sharing her knowledge and love, she makes an impact on the staff. Next to that, the team of Noah’s Ark provides medical assistance and education where they can.
Renske and Noah’s Ark are making change in Mukono, Uganda.
