On the Ground: Uganda

A woman makes her way back home through the highlands of Ruhiira, site of the Millennium Villages in Uganda.
CREDIT: Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum on Malaria

Ruhiira Millennium Village--Exhausted and sick, Jonice Tubokirwe, made her way up 4
km of steep dirt road to the clinic on top of the hill. She was suffering from malaria and
once she reached the clinic, only place with medicine in this highland region, she had
only one thought in mind--to get proper medication not for herself, but for her son back
home.

Lying sick and feverish at home was her 15-year-old son, Byamukama. It was only two
nights ago when he walked 9 hours from secondary school. A thousand thoughts
flooded her mind. If her son couldn’t continue school, then he most likely would have
to drop out, marry and share their already small plot of farmland. “My son’s education
is most important,” she said. “I have to get him back to school right away.”

For Jonice, malaria has become less of a burden. Through the Millennium Villages
project, she received three long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets for her home.
Before then, she said she would catch malaria three, sometimes four, times a year.
This was the first time she had the disease in the past year. Her son, who was
sleeping away from home to attend school, did not have the benefit of a bed net.

Under normal circumstances, clinics do not dispense drugs without the presence of the patient to administer a proper diagnosis. This made
Jonice nervous because she had no money to pay the 2,000 shillings, or about $1, to get her son up to the clinic by motorcycle. She was
suffering from malaria as well, though not as severe, and had not been able to work the fields for the past few days. Her plan was to get
medication, build up her strength and work on neighboring lands for a small fee to pay for transportation. Upon reaching the clinic, she
explained her case and they gave her enough doses of ACTs (artemisinin-based combination therapies) for both of them.

With a renewed sense of hope and an eye towards the future of her son, Jonice pointed to large stacks of maize pouring out of bags in the
corner of her household. She said she grew it with seed and fertilizer provided by the project. Millennium Promise is working with eight
villages, or roughly 40,000 people, in this region known for its vast banana plantations. Despite having modest amounts of food Jonice had
other plans for the maize.“I will sell it," she said, "to pay for loans and secondary school fees for my son.”
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Support Millennium Promise
The Millennium Villages project is empowering Jonice to face daily challenges such as hunger, school fees, and malaria that keep people living
in extreme poverty. You can help Millennium Promise to work with people like Jonice by supporting our activities. Click here
(www.millenniumpromise.org).

Malaria is the greatest killer of children under 5 in Uganda, claiming more than 350 lives each day. A $10 bed net can save not only a child’s
life but help relieve the burden of malaria for all those who suffer from the disease.

With deep thanks for your continued support,

Jeffrey S. Flug
Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Promise

Dennis, 8 yrs old, sits atop a stack of maize which Jonice grew after receiving seed and fertilizer from the project.
CREDIT: Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum on Malaria

Millennium Promise | 432 Park Avenue South | 13th Floor | New York | , NY 10016 | USA | Tel: +1 (212) 584 5710 | info@millenniumpromise.org
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