By Lee Koelzer and Jenifer Tumwizere | Directors of GRU and HOH
House of Hope takes care of kids. They give the kids education, a safe place to live, food, love, support, and medical care. there is a few kids who have needed more medical help from others.
Nante is one of those kids. When she was a baby she knocked a pot of boiling porridge off the fire and badly burned her side. She never received medical help at the time- resulting in her family not knowing how to help her. Fortunately she healed the burn completely, but during the healing process she kept her arm to her side and the skin on her arm actually grew together with the skin on her side making it so she had limited use of her right arm. In addition, the fused skin was making her shoulders and back grow crooked, which had the potential to cripple her for life.
When she was 7 years old, we decided to take a big step. At the time, Nante was living in a child run household. Her older sister Violet age 14 and also belonging to house of home was acting as the parent for Nante and several other children including her 12 year old uncle Robert. We reached out to Besaniya Children's Hospital about getting her a surgery to sever the skin and free her arm. We scheduled her surgery, and Nante, with her Uncle Robert coming to act as her caregiver, took a 7 hour matatu ride to Mukono.
The surgery went well and fortunately they did not have to use skin grafts, instead stretching and stitching the scar tissue together over the areas where her arm and side had been fused together. The kids stayed at the hospital for a month as the hospital monitored her recovery and taught her physical therapy. Robert slept on a mat next to her bed and was probably the most amazing uncle anyone could ever ask for.
It is now 10 years later and Nante is a beautiful young woman attending secondary school. Unfortunately, I do not have a current photo. Her back straightened out and she has full use of her arm. She is intelligent, happy, and beautiful.
This is a success story. This is how House of Hope helps people. And with your love and support, the hopeless are hopeful.
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