Reflections by John Rackleff
Many have heard me say, “coincidences are God’s sense of humor”. While on Safari in Lake Mburo National Park in July 2017, one of the ACCT members was a little claustrophobic and asked to sit in the front of the safari van. Upon taking her seat, the driver, Franklin, asked her if she was a doctor, as he had heard us discussing things in medical terms. When Franklin heard she was a nurse and was with a team of doctors, he shared that he too was a medical doctor! It seems that safari drivers in Uganda can earn more than doctors, by multiples!
In June of 2018, the team returned to Uganda with a physician in country, and through Franklin we could more easily purchase pharmaceutical and medical supplies in country. We also benefited from partnering with his medical team as they ran village clinics, slum clinics, and clinics for our children homes. This was a huge benefit to the ACCT as well as a benefit to hundreds of people in villages and slums who do not have easy access to medical care. We learned the Ugandan way of practicing medicine, the Ugandan way of communicating with the patients, and we all felt that we were finally getting the clinics done with the best utilization of our assets.
Move forward to November 2018: Dr Franklin Muwanguzi has traveled to the U.S. for a medical conference in Kentucky but took the time to fly to Oregon to spend time with several of the ACCT team members. Franklin shadowed US physicians, observed our driving habits, and had a number of opportunities to speak to several groups concerning his mission. Dr Franklin (as he is known to us) is an excellent speaker and shares a passion with all of us to organize a sustainable medical care model for all Ugandans.
He is the proud owner of Wild Excursions Uganda (www.we-uganda.com), booking safari trips at cost plus 10% with half of the profit going to support his other endeavor, Jungle Medical Missions. His dream is to create a series of clinics around Uganda to support a population that cannot otherwise afford health care. These clinics are sponsored by Dr. Franklin’s safari company and by a portion of his clinics catering to the wealthy instead of having them traveling to other countries for first-rate medical care. To listen to Dr Franklin is to share his dream. To have him involved with the ACCT is an answer to prayer. And once again, God smiles!
- John, the author, with Dr. Franklin in San Francisco
