Save Lilian's Life After Acid Attack

On March 5th, Lilian Adiru was attacked with acid at her home by another woman. The acid caused third-degree burns to her face, head, breasts, stomach, and torso. Her right eye was destroyed and needs to be removed. Lilian has been left unable to speak and is fighting for her life. She is only 26 years old.

The perpetrator was captured after fleeing and is being held on the charge of attempted murder. However, Lilian is still undergoing the agony of burn treatment, and her future is by no means secure. She is being aided by Phillip Mutebi, executive director of Human Rights and Economic Empowerment Development (HUREED), a nonprofit that provides medical and legal assistance to marginalized communities in Uganda.

After being rushed from her village to the regional hospital and then to a larger hospital in Kampala for treatment, she has now been moved to Nairobi, Kenya, in order to undergo surgery to remove her right eye, which was destroyed in the attack, and additional specialist care. However, her mother and other family members are poor and do not have the money to pay for her care or travel with her to Nairobi.

Phillip and I are raising money to pay off loans that have been taken out for her immediate care, including:

$4,271: Eye surgery and associated hospital costs in Nairobi

$3,802: Travel for Lilian, her mother and sister, and her legal representative (Phillip) from Kampala to Nairobi, including flights, yellow fever vaccinations, and lodging/meals while they accompany her during her surgery and recovery

$1,786: Paying off initial hospital expenses in Kampala

TOTAL: $9,859 (USD)

Lilian's mother and sister cannot read or write, so Phillip will be their advocate as they deal with all the medical documents and signatures in Nairobi.

Once these loans are paid off, all further donations will go toward Lilian's future medical expenses, living expenses for her family as they care for her, and her ongoing needs as she recovers.

I have seen and spoken to Lilian via video call (though she could not reply), and am in daily touch with Phillip about her case. He is keeping me up-to-date with the relevant medical and legal records. We are also being assisted by RISE, a U.S.-based nonprofit supporting survivors of acid and burn violence around the world. We thank them for helping support Lilian and get the word out about her case. In addition to helping promote this GoFundMe, RISE is donating all proceeds from the sale of Ugandan baskets and jewelry to support Lilian's medical care. Visit their store here: https://riseartisans.com/.

Please donate to help save Lilian's life and help her and her family recover from this vicious attack. Thank you for your prayers and support.

- Br. Christian Cole Matson, Er. Dio., Ph.D.