4 October 2010
This week, five women have started a journey of reconstructive surgery at a local hospital near Entebbe town – 30 minutes south of Kampala, Uganda. The ladies, all from Gulu northern Uganda, bear the scars of a senseless civil war. These include severed lips, ears, head and eye injuries.
Among them is Irene, a 55-old grandmother who is hoping that Watoto’s medical team will help her with the reconstruction of her scalp. Her scalp was damaged during a road ambush by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. 
“My life has been very difficult. I have been jobless because of the disability and a real burden on my family for many years,” she says.
A medical nurse by training, Irene is hopeful of a bright future. While waiting in line to see the surgeon, she continued, “I thank God for keeping me alive for all these years. I’ll be very happy when Watoto helps with my scalp.
“I would love to serve Watoto as a house mother in the children’s village or a nurse in the village clinic.”
This month, six more surgeries are scheduled and several others in November and over the first half of 2011. So far, 33 women with facial mutilations are lined up for assessment for reconstructive surgery. A team of surgeons will assess each woman and will give recommendations on the next step. Not every woman may require or be fit enough for surgery.
We hope that all the facial reconstructive surgeries will be completed by June 2011.
And when they are over, there are many non-facial injuries from the war that require treatment and surgery. Many of them are from bullet wounds and burns from landmines as well as inflicted burns.
And as funds come in, Watoto will continue to support these surgeries so that many are able to stand tall with dignity. We are grateful to all our faithful sponsors and partners who make it possible for us to restore hope and dignity to vulnerable women and the greater community.
