So how’s Spring 2024 going for you? In the past 6 weeks over here with the Wrights, we’ve had one broken leg, one ruptured achilles tendon, and one “someone must accompany you and drive” procedure… And it’s not even May yet!
At Touch the Slum, we’ve seen an uptick in malaria cases with recent rains but nothing major. We are reminding our girls of the importance of using mosquito nets. Believe it or not, this is a cultural challenge:
- Nets are valuable, so families who are given them free will often end up selling them for quick cash.
- Nets can be used to pen in chickens, fish, and other creative things.
- To most Ugandans (and others in Sub-Saharan Africa) malaria isn’t seen as a big deal. While it can cause brain damage, other organ failure, and is a leading cause of death in children under 5, the fact on the ground is that they have lived with it and will continue to live with it and they’re ok with that.
Providing a good meal for our day students and three meals a day for our residents, making and using liquid soap to help with cleanliness and prevention of communicable diseases, providing free medical care at our clinic, and regular seminars on health issues are all part of our daily lives at the compound. Our goal is not just that the girls learn a skill that can support them through their lives, but to educate them holistically (which includes health!) so that they thrive.
We can do this because of your support, and we can’t thank you enough!
Mwebele nnyo!
Jennings
PS As you know, we have several girls in Literacy whose families are refugees from the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of them fled with nothing but what they could carry. Merevey’s family is in desperate need of basic household necessities — you can see her story by clicking the button.
