Kemigisa is a 28-year-old mother of three from Uganda. She works as a housewife and her husband is a casual laborer. Two of their children are in primary school, but they have not yet managed to pay the school expenses.
Seven years ago, Kemigisa developed a painful swelling in her upper abdomen that has since been diagnosed as an epigastric hernia– a condition in which intestinal tissue protrudes through the abdominal wall.
She experiences heartburn after every meal and sometimes fails to eat. In addition, she struggles to lift heavy items and cannot make it to her hilltop gardens. Kemigisa regrets that her nine-year-old and eleven-year-old children fetch water and collect firewood alone as a result of her pain. However, she forces herself to dig in the garden because she has no one else to do it for her.
At the suggestion of a friend Kemigisa visited Virika Hospital, a facility that works with Watsi’s medical partner in Uganda. She was fortunate to find someone who bought her two chickens, allowing her to pay for transportation to the hospital.
However, Kemigisa requires financial assistance to afford a $220 hernia repair surgery. Doctors at Virika Hospital will return Kemigisa’s herniated tissue to her abdominal cavity and seal the weakened area of her abdominal wall.
Let’s help Kemigisa attain the funds she needs for surgery. After surgery she hopes to work hard and take care of her family. She will be able to cultivate more food and sell some of it in order to supplement her husband’s income.
