Zipporah is jovial and keeps smiling the whole time we are talking, shared our local Watsi rep. She delivered a happy baby one month ago and she says that her child is her source of encouragement.
For almost four years now she has not been able to use her right ear, a condition that has greatly affected her Mitumba business (second-hand clothes vending). She needs a hearing aid to boost hearing on her right side. She remembers it starting while she was working one day in June. She started hearing echoes on the right ear as she negotiated with her customers. It was slight at first but gradually worsened over time. She visited several health facilities seeking treatment but she never improved.
She finally opted to visit our Medical Partner’s Care Center Kijabe Hospital in December 2018 after being referred by a friend. She has been following-up for treatment, and recently doctors recommended that she gets fitted with a hearing aid. Her last visit to the hospital was in December last year and she has not been able to get the treatment and device due to financial strain.
Zipporah currently doesn’t have a source of income and is home taking care of her one-month-old baby. She had to stop her clothes business after she started having problems with her ear. Her husband works as a data entry clerk whose income is just enough to cover basics for their family. They live in a rental house costing $50 a month. They have national insurance for health but unfortunately it will not cover this treatment and hearing aid fitting.