By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/KMA Updates.
Kiryandongo, Western Uganda. On a fateful day in Kiryandondo Refugee Settlement Cluster I is where this baby girl (Nyalwel Gai ) was found and evacuated from toilet pit.Jacob Gai, 38 with his mother holding (Nyalwel Gai now 8 months)-a baby girl who is getting ACF support after being evacuated from a toilet pit. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
Jacob Gai a South Sudan Refugee caretaker of the baby narrates that on the morning 13th, November, 2021 around 6:00am, woke up to excuse himself only to hear the sound of a baby emanating from toilet pit.
“I ran to Chairman LCI of this area who helped me mobilize community members and call police. Police came here and started digging from outside the toilet pit and a baby girl was evacuated”. Gai informed.
Gai informs that Police then drove them up to Panyadoli HCIV where they spent a week fortunately the report was that the baby was well health-wise and now they are staying with the baby.
He says, no one has so far come out to claim the baby and that they are much willing to stay with the baby in that they take her as their biological child and named her before his name (Nyalwel Gai) and if supported, Gai assured to do everything for her.
“If any person comes out to claim her, I will first consult Police because it declared her as my daughter since no one had come out to say it’s hers”. Gai informed.
However Gai cried out that they are currently struggling as a family to get enough food since he has a family of over 10 children with only 3 members with UN WFP Card, light and expansive house are other things they need.
Nimusiima Bridget a Nutrition Officer with Action Against Hunger-Kiryandongo Base says, at receiving information about the baby, the organization intervened to ascertain her condition and that of the family.
“I met a Village Health team (VHT) member who told me that baby girl had taken a lot of execrator but when she was referred to Panyadoli Health Center IV within the settlement it was found out that she had no scaring complications”. Nimusiima revealed.Nimusiima Bridget, Nutrition Officer with Action Against Hunger-Kiryandongo Base. Photo by Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa.
She cites that the caretaker family sought for ACF’s intervention which they offered, continued treating the baby till she was okay.
Nimusiima says, working with other partners, they were able to support the baby from day one up to 6 months with breastmilk substitutes.
She informs that ACF continuously followed up the baby through home visits at least twice a month to counsel the family on how to feed her using breastmilk substitute and how they should take care of the child.
“We (ACF) provided the family with sanitary items like soap, jerrycans, basins, blankets and few clothes for the baby and its already a success story for us because the baby landed into hands of a kind family which committed itself to support her and take our advice”. Nimusiima stated.
She went on to inform that they have trained the family on how to set up a kitchen garden and provided them with seeds like Onions, tomatoes, green vegetables etcetera to boost her dietary needs.
“We (ACF) also connected caretaker family to Food Security and Livelihood (FSL) program where they will be receiving cassava cuttings, sweet potatoes and others to ensure food availability since it has many members”. She added.
This intervention comes at a time when Action Against Hunger USA-Uganda Mission is implementing a 3-year Multi-Sectoral, Humanitarian Response to the Deteriorating Global Nutrition Situation Focusing on severely affected crisis contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa project funded by German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) that started on 1st July 2021 to 30th June 2024 in Kiryandongo district.