Zakayo’s Story

Short description of ZAKAYO’S FULL NAME, WHERE HE LIVES, NUMBER OF KIDS HE HAS LIVING AT HOME, DESCRIPTION OF HIS HOUSE AND LIVING SITUATION AND OF HIS LINEAGE IN AFRICA.

Zakayo came to us by referral. Sezi from the Make a Smile for Children Foundation requested food assistance for three small youth who were in crisis. His message was accompanied by a photo of himself with them and in the background you could see someone in a bed. When I requested more information I was told that the person was the father of the family, Zakayo. The reason the children required assistance was due to Zakayo losing his job due to injury - he fell from a tree and received some emergency care which included a catheter and bag. The girls had done their best to taken care of him for many months but the village was waiting for him to die because he had infection and was severely malnourished.

Within 24 hours Ambrose and Apophia prepared transport to Zakayo’s village and met with him, family members, and community members. They interviewed the group to better understand the situation and we began creating a budget to see how we could care for Zakayo and the children. Apophia contacted people she knew at Mbarara’s Ministry of Health Regional Referral Hospital and Ambrose prepared transport with a special ambulance.

Zakayo would still require someone to take care of the children and for someone to travel with him to the hospital. It is customary for someone to travel with you to the hospital to help care for your needs.

Neither Zakayo or his family knew who we were or why we would be helping them. All met with Apophia and Ambrose as they explained that we would pay for Zakayo’s transport to the hospital for evaluation, hospital bills, food for the family at home, food and expenses for a family member to travel to Mbarara, for Zakayo and a family member’s needs in the hospital, and everyone’s return trip home.

The family had a meeting and decided who would take care of the children and who would travel with Zakayo and Ambrose in the ambulance to Mbarara.

After a lengthy stay in the hospital, Zakayo was stabalized and worked every day to walk. When we received word that he would be returning home we a bed made so that he would not have to sleep on the ground and could get himself out of bed so that he would not require the catheter and bag. The children also required beds and Ambrose took them by boda boda to Kihiihi for shopping where they chose new clothes and beddings for their bedrooms.

Zakayo’s neighbors were able to find land to plant for him and his family if we could provide seeds. By the time the seeds were ready to harvest, Zakayo was walking on his own with a stick!