Spina Bifida is also known as an “open back”. In a baby with Spina Bifida, the vertebrae are not closed properly and the spinal cord is open. This can cause paralysis, incontinence or hydrocephalus. Read the story of Namunu from Kaabong, Uganda.
Story of Namunu
Namunu was born 11 years ago with Spina Bifida. She was operated on in the hospital in Kaabong. Unfortunately, the girl is completely paralyzed up to her waist and her legs and feet are bent. This prevents Namunu from moving around on its own. In addition, she has no control over her urine and stools.
Namunu’s mother has psychological problems. She cannot take care of her children. Namunu’s father has 6 wives and now 37 children. They hardly see him at all. Namunu lives with her mother, brother (24 years) and sister (8 years) with her elderly grandmother. The family is very poor and the situation is dire. The girl spends her days mostly on a mat. She developed painful bedsores. In CoRSU it appears that medically little can be done for Namunu. Most people born with Spina Bifida catheterize (empty the bladder through a catheter) several times a day. However, the materials for this are not locally available and doctors advise against this due to poor hygiene.
CCA’s support
We ask Namunu and her family how best we can help them. In the end, with the help of generous donations, we can purchase a beautiful wheelchair for the girl. This enables her to easily move around in the compound and the neigborhood. Her brother can go back to school with the help of our sponsorship program. He would like to study and, if he finds a job, improve living conditions at home. He speaks fondly of his sisters and works hard to feed them. Because regular education is not an option for Namunu, we help her with practical skills. She proves to be very good at making beads and necklaces from old paper. Her jewellery is sold locally and through CCA.
