It is always distressing when the call comes that there is a tiny sick infant needing immediate medical assistance. However, that is what IGF’s Social Worker and Clinical Officers are on-hand to do. The call came in mid-February to IGF’s Social Worker that there was an infant in the village of Namokora, about 55km away from Kitgum, in a serious condition. The IGF team rushed to the village and found baby Moses in a serious condition, weighing only 2kg.
Moses Lubangangeyo (meaning ‘God knows’) was born one month premature on 9th January 2016. His mother was already severely ill at the time of delivery, and died just over 2 weeks later on 28th January 2016. His father was unable to look after Moses, so a few relatives stepped in to help. Without money to afford formula milk, and little access to help in the village, there was nothing to feed him and provide the required nutrients to such a young infant. Moses had wasted skin, was anaemic, and was losing weight from his already tiny body.
The IGF team immediately took Moses to a hospital in Kitgum for tests and treatment. He was found to have developed septicaemia, bacterial conjunctivitis, and was acutely malnourished at 2kg. Moses remains under intensive care in our partnership hospital St Joseph’s, where he is receiving the best possible care. His aunty has come with him to take care of him at the hospital, as hospitals here require a carer for each patient, to bath and feed and so on.
When Moses’ condition has stabilised, he will be transferred to IGF’s Children’s Medical Centre, where he will begin on the nutritional feeding program, and receive ongoing care and medical treatment. It will be a long road to recovery for Moses, and a life without his mother.
Infant malnutrition and mortality rates in Kitgum and surrounding villages remains too high. Mama Irene’s hope was to save the lives of infants and mothers, and to reduce infant/child malnutrition and preventable deaths. Reaching out to surrounding villages where there is very limited access to medical care and support remains a focus for IGF.
Please support IGF in continuing to reduce infant mortality and malnutrition. The best way to help is to make an on-going donation to the IGF health project. Lives like Moses depend on it!
