Irene Gleeson (30 December 1944 – 21 July 2013) was a

Christian missionary A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and ...

to the children of

Kitgum District Kitgum District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda. It is named after its major town of Kitgum, where the district headquarters is located. It has suffered much fatalities and social disruption resultin ...

, northern Uganda, whose lives were disrupted first by war then by HIV/AIDS. She was awarded an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 2009 for "service to international relations, particularly through sustained aid for children affected by war and

HIV-AIDS The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preventable disease. It can ...

in Northern Uganda" Gleeson first came to war-torn

Northern Uganda The Northern Region is one of four regions in Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Northern Region had 30 districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some co ...

in 1992, after selling her beach-side

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

home in Sydney. She parked her caravan in the

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is a Christian extremist organization operating in Central Africa and East Africa. Its origins were in the War in Uganda (1986–1994), Ugandan insurgency (1986–1994) against Yoweri Museveni, during which Jo ...

territory close to the then-border of

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, and over the years built her orphan school around it. Initially, Gleeson didn't want to leave, but as an orphan herself, her life had seen its fair share of sadness, and she felt it was her chance to give back and save a child from the life she once lived. Gleeson sat under a large mango tree as the locals sussed out the strange white lady. Nobody knew any English and they weren't quite sure why she was there. The language barrier was a problem, but slowly she sang to the children who meekly sat beside her, eventually teaching them English by writing in the dirt and doing puppet shows. In 2007 ''Cinderella Children'', a video documentary, was produced by Grant Windle about Gleeson's charity work in Uganda. On 21 July 2013, Gleeson died, after a yearlong battle with cancer, surrounded by her family in Sydney. Her work lives on through the Irene Gleeson Foundation (IGF) (in the US, www.IGFUSA.org). The Irene Gleeson Foundation now provides: *Full day care, Schooling, Food, counseling and Medical care for 5 schools and 8,000 children. *Tertiary Training College for Young Adults. *Medical Clinics and Malnourished Feeding Program. *Gloryland Junction AIDS Hospice & Infant Orphanage. *Community Churches. *FM Radio Station 'Mighty Fire FM' *Cultural Arts Studio *Water Bores for Communities * Capacity Training for 450 professional Staff

References

External links

* * http://irenegleeson.org/ * http://www.fass.uts.edu.au/images/news-events/mama-africa.pdf * http://www.smh.com.au/national/grandmother-to-the-children-of-war-20090607-bzv7.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Gleeson, Irene 1944 births 2013 deaths Officers of the Order of Australia People from Sydney Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Deaths from cancer