Rosaline is a 23-year-old manual laborer from Kenya. When she was only 15 years old, young Rosaline was married and conceived her 1st born. A year later, she left her matrimonial home following constant quarrels and domestic violence from her then-husband. She went back to her ancestral home to live with her elderly mother.
She currently has three children ages: 7, 4, and 2 years old. She was not able to complete a formal education. Rosaline lives in a one-room traditional house with her children. She depends on a small income she gets from fetching water for people in her village. On a good day, she makes $2, which she uses to feed her kids and take care of her basic needs. On days when there are no jobs, she relies on her siblings for food. Rosaline is the last born in a family of five. Her siblings do fishing in the nearby lake Baringo and don’t have a stable source of income either.
In April 2020, Rosaline’s traditional lessos and dress caught fire while cooking in her small makeshift kitchen. She shared that the space around the cooking area is small and can barely accommodate 2 people. As she was turning to pick up salt, her loose lessos and dress caught fire causing severe burns on more than 20% of her body. She now has difficulty sitting and is in pain.
Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Rosaline receive treatment. On September 22nd, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to this treatment will help her heal properly and she will no longer be in pain. Now, Rosaline needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure.
Rosaline shared with us, “I have gone through a lot. Early marriage and break up, teen pregnancy, and now this accident. I have 3 children to feed and raise. I even had to discontinue my little baby from breastfeeding after I sustained the burns. I am in constant pain and at risk of getting infections. I am hopeful I will get to undergo this surgery so that I can take care of my young family.”
