Mina has been a close friend and trusted coworker of mine since 2015. She is the type of person that will go far out of her way to help just about anyone she knows, and she has done this for me on many occasions including when I struggled with a debilitating illness (which turned out to be a world-class case of gout) for almost 6 months in 2017. Now I hope we can help repay the kindness and generosity to her.

Affectionately known as “Coach Mina” by the 300 refugee kids she helps serve at our Youth Center each day, she is enormous presence for all of her peers and to the many teenage girls in our program. Whenever there is something important that needs to get done, she is the first person we turn to.

Coach Mina has been experiencing some severe pains for a number of years, but doctors in Uganda had never been able to give her a diagnosis. During her recent holiday travel to South Africa to visit a close friend, she fell particularly ill and was connected to a specialist who gave her a pro bono checkup.

Unfortunately, she is in urgent need of an operation. The operation is not readily available in Uganda, and she will need to travel to Aga Khan Hospital in Kenya for the official consultation and surgeries. With hospitals nearly at capacity across the region due to surging Covid cases, she needs to book a place ASAP. The fee estimate is below:

Consultation and Surgery Booking:                           $1000

1st Surgery (including post-surgery care):             $3500

2nd Surgery (50% chance of need):                            $1500

Transportation, Room & Board in Nairobi:             $1000


While Coach Mina is saving every possible shilling she can spare, she still needs a lot of help. Cost of living, including medical care, is significantly higher in Kenya than it is in Uganda. Without support, she is at serious risk of needing a much larger operation in less than 6 months.

I recently overheard someone say, “We are all one medical emergency away from poverty.” This statement really struck me. Not only is it relevant to this situation, but I feel it really rings true for many of us. However, with our support, we can help make sure this is not the case for Coach Mina.

All funds contributed will go directly to her medical treatment and we look forward to providing some positive updates in coming months!