Liberty Insurance, Moms Gather donate goodies to SHA-U House of Hope Center in Rubaga

Kampala, Uganda:- Liberty Insurance Uganda, in partnership with Moms Gather, have extended support worth millions of shillings to the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Uganda (SHA-U) in a bid to improve the lives of children living with these conditions.

The initiative, which took place today, Wednesday, April 02, at the SHA-U House of Hope Center in Wakaliga, Rubaga Division, Kampala, was highlighted by the urgent call for government intervention to increase funding and policy improvement for these neglected category of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).

Speaking to the press in an interview, Ms. Ruth Nalugya, the Executive Director SHA-U, expressed utmost gratitude to Liberty Insurance and Moms Gather for their unwavering support towards the Association’s activities, but emphasized the enormity of the challenge they face, given the widespread neglect of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus at the national level.

“When you look at the prevalence of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus at the national level here in Uganda, it stands at between 6,000 and 8,000 a year. As an association, we can only reach out to about 1,500 families every year, leaving a very big gap as far as reaching out to the greater need out there,” Ms. Nalugya noted.

Nalugya, who is also a mother of a child born with spina bifida, explained that the House of Hope Center serves as a temporary home for caregivers from various regions, but current limitations only allow them to accommodate around 240 families annually.

She, therefore, highlighted that the association is looking for funds worth Shs500 million to establish a state-of-the-art caring center that can cater for a larger population. “If we can have our own centre, we can accommodate at least 25 families in a month. Right now, we cannot modify this facility like you see it. We cannot make it fully accessible, yet reasonable accommodation is what we promote,” she said.

Ms Nalugya further decried the unavailability of adequate medical supplies and a lack of funding for emergency medical cases, which she says leaves families helpless. “At times, we are overwhelmed by medical emergency needs. For example, a child might convulse and require a CT scan, but the family cannot afford it. Such scans cost around Shs 200,000. Without a benevolence fund, these emergencies remain unaddressed.”

Joseph Almeida, Liberty Insurance’s Managing Director, hailed Ms Nalugya and SHA-U staff for their dedication in taking care of the children living with the condition. “We commend SHA-U for their heartfelt commitment to take care of children who the society sees as unfit and, in turn, give them hope. As Liberty Insurance, we are passionate about financial and health well-being in the community,” Mr Almeida noted.

Ms. Juliet Murungi Okwi, the Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Liberty Insurance, added to Almeida’s remarks and said the company plans to raise awareness about Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, with a focus on dispelling misconceptions and encouraging early diagnosis and intervention.

“We are now going to start putting out information and content to just create awareness about this condition. We shall also continue this partnership with Moms Gather and SHA-U to put out simple nuggets broken down in layman’s language for people to have an appreciation and end the stigma,” Ms Okwi noted.

On their part, Moms Gather, represented by co-founders Lisa Kusiima and Daisy Sunshine, committed to continue their support towards the SHA-U and also pledged to bring more organizations and companies on board for a broader helping hand.

“Last year, we wanted to not just hold our event but also help mothers in the community who are mothering differently. So, we reached out to SHA-U, who were in need of support. For the last one year, we have been collecting items and money to bring to the home and support them,” Ms Lisa Kusiima, a co-founder of the transformative initiative that celebrates mothers, said on the afternoon.

Adding to this, Daisy Sunshine elaborated on their ongoing partnership with SHA-U and their vision for the future to help other mothers in the community who are mothering differently.

“We were looking for different organizations that are supporting mums and reached out to the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Uganda. They were in need of a lot of help. We didn’t even know much about the condition. We came here and were empowered about what the condition is, how to avoid it. So we’re able to tell our communities how to avoid it. But we also saw the need for how we can support these mums in the community,” Daisy remarked.

“This year, we wanted to do it even bigger and better and bring organizations on board so they can see how they can support these mums as their CSR. So this year, we’re doing it with Liberty, who have come on board. And we hope to walk the journey with them for the next three years or so,” she explained.

The partnership, according to ED Nalugya, also aims to provide financial literacy training to mothers, empowering them to create sustainable livelihoods and better care for their children. “We came up with an idea of having an income-generating initiative. This was to train mothers on how to make liquid soap and bleach,” she remarked, adding, “We have seen mothers carry on the skill they learned from the center back to the community.”