⋙ Saving Emmeline ⋘

Lindsay E. Nance is organizing this fundraiser.

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This will change the life of Emmeline and Nakato in a big and beautiful way.

Please help these warrior women. While visiting a market in the small village of Gayaza, Uganda, I met a 5 month old baby whose mother is dying of AIDS. Her name is Emmeline. Her loving aunt Nakato cares for her, despite living on less than $1 day and raising 5 kids on her own. Life is beyond hard. They are fighting to survive. Half of the funds raised will be donated to the One Girl's Do It In A Dress Campaign, where girls in Africa are given scholarships to attend school. This not only lifts them out of poverty, but their families, communities, and nations rise with them. #thegirleffect

The remaining funds will directly sponsor Nakato and Emmeline who currently have no access to sponsorship.
When I met her in a small village market, baby Emmilene's wide-eyes seemed to be brimming with joy and her sunshine smiles kept melting my heart. Our social business was able to donate a set of cloth diapers, and I was able to take Emmeline to a pediatrician for the first time in her life. It was assumed she was HIV positive because of her mother's condition, but we wanted to be sure so she could get treatment if she needed it. Thankfully, the blood test showed up negative which lifted a huge weight and STIGMA from her life and future! It was a big relief, but the doctor explained that Emmeline was so severely malnourished that it was more critical than an HIV diagnosis. She was dying... and she was dying because she had no food. When we talked to Nakato she pulled out a baby bottle of water and a jar of sugar. This is all she could afford to feed the baby. SUGAR AND WATER. This was it. No one in the family had milk, let alone formula for the baby. Occasionally she would feed the infant cassava porridge when they had access to it.

When the weight of this realization hit me, I couldn't hold back the tears. How could this be reality? This baby girl seemed so full of life and joy, with eyes that beamed life, and it was obvious that Nakato cared deeply for the wellbeing of her children.
So now we are asking Nakato what she needs. We are listening. I believe we can empower her to overcome the dismal reality of abject poverty.

Immediately after walking out of the medical clinic, the first purchase we made was enough doctor-recommended formula to last baby Emmeline until her time to ween. From this alone, Nakato was speechless and beaming with gratitude. Emmeline has enough to stay alive for now, but our girls deserve better than this.

These are some of the worst places to be born a girl. There are areas in Africa where a girl is more likely to be sexually assaulted than attend high school. The desperate desire to survive pushes many girls into prostitution, child marraige, and violent servitude in order to eat and make ends meet.

But I believe that neither death from malnutrition, nor a reality of brutality and violence has to be the future for Emmeline. EDUCATION will change everything for her. These funds will go towards Emmeline's medical expenses, so she can return to the pediatrician and confirm her HIV negative status. There is 3 month window for infection, and a test in December will confirm her negative status. They will go to making sure she has access to proper nutrition, as well as Nakato and the rest of the children. Nakato's 5 other young children will be put on scholarship, so they can attend school immediately. THIS WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR THEM.

Please give what you can, even if it's just a few dollars. Believe me, it will make a difference. Please join us in this act of kindess and compassion.

Thank you, to each and every one of you beautiful and fierce peaceful warriors. Every little bit can have massive impact.

The amount of suffering in this world can seem overwhelming, but we can do something about it. We can start with one girl.

In peace, hope, and with love.

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Here's a video of a family that One Girl directly impacted during my time in Uganda. I was lucky enough to be a part of the film crew that captured this story.