My name is Odoki Mariano, and I started working at St. Mary’s hospital Lacor in 1987. I started as a builder (potter). I know that time is important, and knowing what the job requires of you is important, not forgetting God. If you don’t know God, you will not have the energy to do the work like I did.
My journey at St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor, began one day when Brother Elio told me to come work at the hospital and asked me to learn how to drive the tractor so that I could help with carrying building materials. This was around the time northern Uganda was under the LRA war.
One time during the war, I was caught by the rebels while on duty collecting sand from faraway places where vehicles could not reach, like Keyo and Rwotobilo. They thought I was a government intelligence officer.
I pleaded with the rebels to let me go because I am doing a great job of building a hospital, which would help them and their children. It wasn’t easy to talk to them, to let me go until they were convinced. They gave me the number 002 and said they would inform all the rebels not to harm the person with the number 002.
Not so long again I was caught, this time around was more frightening because that specific rebel commander who arrested me, called “Latoya” refused to listen to me. He accused me of scaring the rebels with my tractor because in these areas, no vehicles were moving except me and my tractor. Luckily, a commander showed up just at the right time, and he knew me from the first encounter. He asked Latoya if it was true that he did not know me. Latoya responded that he did not. That was when the commander asked me what my number was, and when I told him it was 002, he immediately let me go. Since then, I have continued my work at Lacor hospital with unwavering commitment. From a potter, I was promoted to the person in charge of all the hospital vehicles and fuel. I carried on that role up to the point of my retirement.
Another thing I am grateful for at St. Mary’s hospital, Lacor, is the kindness of the hospital’s founders. I remember when I started working here, Dr Corti and Lucile would go on holiday to Italy and return with drugs for my sister and me. Unfortunately, my sister lost her life when they were on holiday, and when they returned and heard the news, they were devastated.
As I retire, I pray the person carrying on with my duties keeps up the great work that I began. I was supposed to retire ten years ago, but because the hospital saw the great work I was doing, they extended my contract, and today, Saturday, 28th June, 2025, I retire full of gratitude. Thank you, St. Mary’s hospital, Lacor.
