Mwamini is a 31-year-old woman from DR Congo, and the mother of four children, one boy and three girls. She and her family, including her husband, live in a refugee settlement in Uganda. Mwamini lost her parents in the conflict back home, while her husband’s parents still live in DR Congo.
Both Mwamini and her husband had limited access to education growing up, due to their respective families’ financial challenges. Presently, they both work as small-scale farmers on rented land, to provide food for their household and generate a small income from the surplus they sell. Life in the refugee settlement has been challenging, and the family continues to struggle to meet their basic needs.
Five years ago, Mwamini began to experience troubling symptoms, including a swelling at the site of a previous surgical incision. Over the last two years, the condition has progressively worsened, causing her significant discomfort and affecting her ability to work. As the swelling increased in size, she began experiencing abdominal fullness, pain, and a noticeable abdominal mass. Eventually, the condition became so debilitating that she was forced to stop participating in farming activities, placing an additional burden on her family’s livelihood.
In an attempt to find relief, Mwamini tried various herbal remedies, but her condition continued to deteriorate. Her breakthrough came when she attended a surgical outreach organized by our medical partner’s care center, Rwibaale Hospital, where she was advised to seek further evaluation and treatment at the hospital. There, was diagnosed with both an incisional hernia and grade three splenomegaly (enlarged spleen). Physicians have recommended a laparotomy, which is a surgery that opens up the abdominal cavity to treat her condition.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund Mwamini’s surgery. On June 2nd, she will undergo surgery at Rwibaale Health Center. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully greatly improve her quality of life.
Mwamini says, “I hope to get relief from the pain, so I can go back to my farming activities and take good care of my family.”
