Phiona N (Double Clubfoot):
‘I’m the maternal grandfather of Phiona. When my daughter gave birth to her, she was disowned by the father saying that none of his family members have ever given birth to a person with clubfeet so there is no way that Phiona is his child. So ever since childhood Phiona has been my responsibility. She has gone through a lot of pain to the extent that at the age of nine years when she started tx she had never gone to school because of the pain and difficulty she was going through while walking. Thanks O4A for the support and tx expenses. You have really restored my hope. I had thought Phiona was going to stay deformed and illiterate for the rest of her life but after correcting her feet she started schooling and she is able to do everything which seemed so difficult before. May God keep using you to help others.’
Medical care is not free in Uganda. Children who require surgery are especially vulnerable because the cost to correct their conditions is beyond what most families can afford. One4Another exists to facilitate surgeries, at no cost, for children with a variety of critical conditions including: clubfeet, bone infections, anal malformations, traumas, fractures and hernias. These one-time interventions shift the trajectory of a child’s life from one of disability to ability and prevent a lifetime of suffering.
Testimonies
Phiona’s Grandfather
Patrick N (8 yrs old, Hirschsprung’s Disease with Colostomy):
“I had never thought or dreamed of this day that my son can be able to pass stool normally. In my life, I have never seen or touched the money which was needed to carry out the needed operation. I used to buy 5 bundles of polythene bags and two pairs of bedsheets to be cut for him to use. He has not been schooling because the nearby school refused to give him a placement because of the smell. We had even become a point of direction in our village saying ‘go to the house of the boy who passes stool out his stomach’. I thank God that there are still people with good hearts in this world. Now my son will be able to join school. I thank everyone who contributed towards the operation of my son.”
Patrick’s Father
Mercy T (8 yrs old, born with anal malformation):
“I used to cry, “Why God brought this to me, why me, why my daughter?” I really had a lot of questions running in my mind. My daughter would not perform very well at school because she was despised and isolated by fellow pupils. I am glad. I’m glad. I am so glad. Thanks to One4Another for giving my girl a chance to be like other kids. I honestly didn’t know that this can be possible. I don’t have anything I can give you but God knows what you need most. May God bless you.”
Mercy’s Mother
Job K (8 mths old, born with imperforate anus):
“I’m a blind woman who can’t even raise any amount of money for anything even if had wanted. So when I gave birth to Job and they told me his condition I was so worried I cried everyday coz I knew his days were numbered and I was just waiting for his time to die coz I couldn’t afford the treatment he needed. But I thank the person who is behind the tx of my son. It is unfortunate that I can’t see the person but what I know is that they must be having godly hearts. May God protect them and add them more years on my behalf coz I could totally do nothing towards the tx of my son.”
Job’s Mom
Prosper P (2 mths, born with imperforate anus):
“Children are meant to give happiness to their parents when they are born but this wasn’t the case when I gave birth to my son. Instead, it was the beginning of my sufferings. As soon as we discovered my son had issues my husband chased me out of the home. His family told him that I had brought a curse in the family and entire clan. I went back to my mother’s place with no money and no hope. Eventually, I gave up and was only waiting for my son to die. Someone connected me to One4Another and when they promised to help me I felt born again because my son’s life meant everything to me. If it wasn’t for you I would have buried him a long time ago (with tears). Seeing him walk and call me ‘mummy’ makes me the happiest person in the world.”
Prosper’s Mom
Waiswa T (1 yr old, born with left clubfoot):
“Giving birth to twins comes with extra cost coz everything you have to buy is double and on top of that my son was born with his foot curved inwards. It was really too much for me to handle. I used to cry everyday coz I know how much difficulty I go through with bullying and being despised. They nicknamed me, “Koloba”, meaning, ‘a lame person’ because I’m disabled and whenever I could imagine that my son was going to go through the same thing as me I could cry more. But I thank God for One4Another and everyone behind this for the tx of my son coz you really gave him a new life. You saved him from being bullied and called names. I’m so grateful that my son is walking normally. May God bless you abundantly for this work that you do.”
Waiswa’s Mom (uses a stick to walk)
Mark K (11 yrs, multiple fractures):
“I got a phone call that my son was knocked by a Boda, sustained multiple fractures, and was rushed to a local hospital. On reaching there doctors gave me a bill of 7 million schillings to operate on him. Hearing this, I fainted, coz this was more money than I had ever seen. Even if I sold off everything I own it would not reach that amount. So, we were referred to a gov’t hospital where we spent 2 days without being attended to. It was then that someone connected me to One4Another. Indeed, my son has received the best tx and is now back on his two feet. I really thank them for their support, especially me – who doesn’t have anything – that through you my son was able to get VIP tx. May the almighty God bless the works of your hands.”
Mark’s Mom
Amisi K (osteomyelitis – infection of tibia):
‘I believed it was witchcraft which was done to Amisi because of family wrangles. We almost visited every traditional witch doctor in the region who requested for sheep, goats, white chickens and many others but instead, the condition was worsening. When we decided to go to the hospital they requested us to pay 3.5 million schillings to treat my son which I couldn’t raise even if I wanted to. So instead I requested to be discharged back home waiting for God to decide his destiny. But, as they say, God uses people and works in different ways. This time God used O4A to save the life of my son because if it wasn’t for that support Amisi was going to die or lose his leg. I thank God for whoever made it possible to see that my son gets his life again. May you live longer to see the goodness of the lord in your life.’
Amisi’s mother
Nazifa N (omphalocele)
‘My daughter had become a point of direction at our village as she was referred to as, ‘a girl with a stomach like a drum’. Because of this, she felt inferior and she would not interact with fellow kids. She even failed to go to school because of the bullying. She was looked at as being abnormal. Thank you O4A for treating my daughter and saving her from so much bullying and humiliation. May God continue blessing the works of your hands.’
Nazifa’s mother
Amiisi W (Injection Neuritis):
‘I tried as much as possible to correct the foot of my son when he was still young but I failed to get money for tx as it was too expensive for me, so I accepted that he was going to grow lame and decided to let him be. But I’m very grateful for this program which has enabled us, the poor people, to get tx for our children. It really gives me happiness to see my son walking normally again which I thought would never happen. Thank you very much for the support and tx towards my son. May you be blessed more and more.’
Amiisi’s Mother
Our Surgical Center
(Jinja, Uganda)
Musa brings kindness and care to the children we serve as he goes about this works of doing patient assessments, compiling progress notes, and keeps patient information up to date.
Lillian is a primary school teacher by profession but has joined our team as a recreation and play therapist.
Steven is a natural community builder. He has a background in clinic administration but his passion is linking children in villages with treatment that they otherwise would not receive. He works humbly and tirelessly on behalf of our children and with our community leaders.
Joel brings enthusiasm and versatility for a role that is near and dear to our hearts and that is ‘follow up care’.
Toni is a program nurse who is helping us expand our capacity in Uganda. He works to get the kids to their appointments and helps facilitate the rehabilitation process which often involves a lot of travel to remote villages. The work is often tedious and progress can be slow which is why the first requirement for hiring our nurses is a genuine love for the children and an affable nature.
Olivia is our lead nurse and is based in her hometown of Jinja, Uganda. In addition to a nursing degree, she also has a degree in social administration. She coordinates the program on the ground which includes: outreach, assessment, consultation with the surgeons, coordination of medical tests, operation schedules, transportation, and follow-up care.