 Patricia Brenninkmeyer
"After hearing about Africa and children in need when I was a young child, I was seriously determined to go there when I was grown up, however I had a lot of growing and training to do before my dream came true." Patricia graduated from St. Andrew's University in Scotland with and MA degree in Geography and Modern History and went on to do a post graduate diploma course in Child Care and Social Administration at Liverpool. This qualified her as a Social worker - Child Care Officer.
Patricia's first job was with The Child Welfare and Adoption Society (CWAS) in Uganda where she was responsible to a local Committee and ultimately the Catholic Secretariat at Nsambya. Her role was to supervise the care of "orphans" in Catholic Missions and hospitals throughout the country, and to work towards rehabilitating children with their relatives or with foster parents. At the end of her two year contract which had cemented her wish to work in or for Africa in reality, she returned home to the UK and went to work with Oxfordshire Social Services to gain additional experience. Patricia felt fortunate when she was asked to go to Uganda back for another two years by CWAS, during which time the Nsambya Babies Home was completed, staffed and became the Head Quarters of CWAS. Patricia returned to UK at the end of 1970.
Patricia worked with the Commonwealth Students' Children Society in London for five years, leading the social work department for two. The Society worked with students from Commonwealth countries who brought children with them to the UK had but found they were unable to care for them. "The aim was to find day care, foster care or housing for these families and to support them through many difficult situations." These years opened the windows on the trials facing black communities in London and the complexities of cross-cultural child care situations and, in turn led Patricia to her decision to set up a children's Home near her cottage in Berkshire through the Arnopa Trust. African student's children were the target group and their parents were always welcomed into the family and were free to take their children home with them whenever possible in order to maintain their relationships. Over 13 years the Warren Farm Family Group Home became a haven for children from Africa and also from Social Service Departments in the UK.
In 1981 Patricia went on to start The Kulika Charitable Trust which initially sponsored students from Africa, especially from Uganda. By 1985, when it became possible to visit Uganda again after the civil war, the emphasis on Uganda increased and a local Committee was formed. In 1990 the returned graduates from UK requested the Trust changed its focus so to train farmers in their own villages in order to rebuild their livelihoods and achieve sustainability. At that time Warren Farm was closed as a childrens' home but not yet sold, so it was decided to turn it into a training centre for farmers from East Africa in organic, sustainable development. From 1993- 1999 forty farmers were trained at the farm. During the last year Tutors were trained so that they could carry out the same training back in Uganda. Kulika Uganda which became independent of Kulika UK in 2004 is now working with around 2000 farmers in Uganda. In 2005 Kulika UK was closed down.
"I am delighted to be able to re-visit my early interests in child care, children's literacy and disability. I am also so grateful to see my vision being translated into workable projects by my very talented and committed colleagues both in Uganda and UK."
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