Help Ugandan Family with Hospital Bills & Dyslexic Son

Hello, my name is Gwendolyn Galsworth, from the USA. I’m writing on behalf of Tracia Apio, a single mom in Uganda whom I met ten years. At that time, Tracia was a manager in an international agricultural firm, with a good salary and benefits. She also earned her degree during her seven years there. Then the company decided to leave Uganda. Within months, Covid hit and her life (like so many others) changed drastically.

The whole family got infected. Her two kids recovered quickly. But Grandma died. And Tracia was in bed for months. When she finally got better, she could only find work as an office cleaner and helper. That is when she began to wake at 5 am, get the kids ready for school, catch a bodha (motorcycle taxi) to start work at 7 am. After 10 hours, she catches a bodha home. She does this six days a week and earns $350 a month.

Tracia is 38. She had a baby girl, Dahilia, 18 months ago ... of the same father as her daughter, Afiya (9) and son, Henry (14).

Henry was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and is struggling a lot in school. Tracia went to the hospital this Spring with bleeding ulcers, a racing heart, and stress levels that were off the charts.

Tracia is a loving mother, incredibly hard-working—and a devout Christian. We often pray together on WhatsApp. Her faith is strong, but her load is heavy. Her recent hospital stay was scary for everyone, especially the children.

The family has been under severe financial stress for a number of years. I help with periodic personal gifts; my brother and some friends pitch in from time to time.

Much, much more is needed. With Tracia—the family's only breadwinner—really sick, and Henry needing special schooling, I realize more help is needed ... urgently. For one thing, Henry cannot learn in the school he now attends. While Uganda does not yet have schools for dyslexic children, there are a few for special-needs kids. The least expensive is $5,000 a year ... more than Tracia's entire annual salary.

Tracia only discovered last month that the father has a completely other family. When that happened, he decided to stop his support entirely. Uganda has no laws to prevent this. It is heart-breaking.

That is why I am reaching out to you. Would you please consider a gift of any size for this honorable, hard-working single mom and her family. I am afraid for the children if this goes on much longer ... and for Tracia. We may lose her.

Anything you could do, whether a donation or sharing this page with others, would help on the road ahead. Thank you.

Sincerely, Gwendolyn