I’ve been traveling to Uganda for a long time — 13 years now. And I’ve spent a lot (a LOT) of time in the slum. So I’m pretty used to the culture, the difficulties, the injustices.
But this week…
We have just had an emergency admission of a pregnant 16 year old who was raped by her father.
I’ll pause while you throw something… I know I wanted to.
Of course, most of us are immediately screaming things like, “LOCK HIM UP!” But no. He isn’t going to be locked up. He isn’t even going to be arrested.
Why? Because the GIRL is the one who will be blamed. The GIRL is the one whose life will be ruined if it is made public. We aren’t even telling more than a few people in our own staff because we have to protect her.
She and her sister are terrified. Of the father beating or even killing them. Of others if they find out.
The mother is leaving them in the slum — to the mercy of their father — and going back to the village.
I’ll pause again for you to throw something else…
So we’re doing our best to protect both girls, deal with the extreme trauma through counseling, and find a safe way forward for them.
We’d all appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Webele nyo,
Jennings
PS We’ll have a project up for this once we can figure out how to do it and create a safe situation and protect anonymity. Meanwhile, you can become a monthly donor or make a one-time donation to help us with this and similar situations. We’d really appreciate your support!
