Kabugho is a 34-year-old single mother, who has been raising her four children on her own. Her husband passed away in a motor accident. Currently, all of her children are in school. In the past, she has paid for their education and food by selling cooking oil.
Lately, physical labor—even the minor body movements involved in running her cooking oil business—has been difficult for Kabugho. She developed a swelling in her right groin region two years ago. After visiting several hospitals, she was diagnosed with a hernia. This lump causes her pain and constipation, and makes it hard for her to work. Without the income she earns selling oil, Kabugho is worried her children will drop out of school.
Furthermore, if she is not treated soon, Kabugho’s hernia could cause intestinal obstruction, incarceration or strangulation—potentially deadly conditions where parts of the tissue become cut off from blood flow.
Kabugho’s doctors have urged her to have surgery to correct her hernia. She cannot afford to pay for this operation herself: “I am unable to pay for my surgery because I spend the little money I get on feeding and educating my children,” she explains. But that doesn’t mean Kabugho has to go without healthcare. For $220 we can sponsor the hernia repair surgery, hospital stay, and medications she needs to recover fully from her hernia.
After surgery, Kabugho hopes the pain will stop and she will be able to continue with her cooking oil business. She even plans to start other businesses if she gets capital. Let’s restore this mother to a position of basic physical comfort and earning potential.
