Destitute African orphans have sent their heartfelt thanks to The Argus as their dream village health centre neared completion.

The Argus has carried a series of articles highlighting the extraordinary work of Hailsham-based charity the Quicken Trust.

Under the leadership of Geoff and Geraldine Booker, the trust has worked tirelessly to help children in the Ugandan village of Kabbubu.

Their lives may have been blighted by Aids, deep-seated poverty, homelessness, disease and starvation.

But they have been given hope by the trust's work to improve local amenities.

Through donations, the trust has already built a school. Numbers attending it have risen from 60 to 250 while another 150 need sponsorship costing £17 a month.

Now a health centre with an examination room, drug store, maternity delivery room and two registered nurses is almost ready.

When it opens during the summer, the brick-built centre will help cure disease among a population where Aids and other killer diseases are rife.

The nearest medical centre is 10 miles away from Kabbubu. The centre is beyond the means of most as it costs 60p to hire a motor scooter to ride there.

Mr and Mrs Booker said readers of The Argus had been so supportive in raising funds for the project.

Help has come after accounts of their efforts appeared in the paper. To thank our readers, a get-together was held with the children holding a piece of paper bearing the words "Thank You".

Mrs Booker, 54, of Cowbeech, near Hailsham, said: "The Argus has done a wonderful job. We rely on donations so are grateful for any help we can get.

"In a culture where people are scraping around for 5p, it gives you an idea of the poverty people face.

"Aids is a big problem and we are picking up the after-effects of it with children who have been orphaned or who are with aged grandparents who cannot look after them.

"One lady we visited had her house made from mud dissolved by the rain. There was no shelter from the rain or vermin."

She said the people of Hailsham had been hugely supportive of the charity.

Plans to build more sheltered housing and nurses' accommodation are next in line as the trust goes from strength to strength.

For more details or to help, call 01323 832361, write to PO Box 113, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4US or email geraldine@quickentrust.fsnet.co.uk