KAMPALA, Uganda — Liberty Insurance Ltd. and Mom’s Gather have partnered to donate essential materials to the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association Uganda (SHA-U), supporting children with these conditions.
The donation, which includes diapers, food, clothes, disinfectants, and hygiene-related items, aims to improve living conditions for children at SHA-U’s facility in Rubaga Division.
Speaking at the event, Liberty Insurance Managing Director Joseph Almeida commended SHA-U’s efforts in supporting children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. “If many companies get to know what they’re doing, they will also offer help,” he said, pledging continued support.
Juliet Murungi Okwi, Liberty Insurance’s Marketing and Customer Experience Manager, emphasized the importance of the partnership with Mom’s Gather. “We’ve partnered with Mom’s Gather, which has a CSR activity with Spina Bifida in Uganda, and we just wanted to be able to support that wonderful cause. As you all know, Liberty Insurance is a life and general insurance company in Uganda, and we are very passionate about financial and health well-being in the community,” she said.
Murungi highlighted the lack of public awareness about Spina Bifida and the need for proper care. “We did notice that this is something that we need to be able to pay attention to in the community to share some love, share some light, share some smiles, with people that must have lost hope in the community,” she added.
She praised SHA-U for bringing hope to affected children and committed to supporting their cause. Murungi also urged the public to embrace insurance, stating, “Forget the narrative that insurance is for thieves or gambling. Insurance empowers you to live a free, happy life without financial stress.”
SHA-U’s Executive Director, Ruth Nalugya, expressed gratitude for the donation, emphasizing the ongoing needs of children and their families. She highlighted the high prevalence of Spina Bifida in Uganda. “When we look at the prevalence of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus at the national level, here in Uganda, it stands at between 6,000 and 8,000 a year. As an association established to improve the quality of life for persons living with these conditions, we can only reach about 1,500 families per year, leaving a significant gap in reaching the greater need out there.”
Nalugya called for more support, noting the high cost of medical care and essential supplies. She revealed that SHA-U seeks UGX 500 million to construct a home for affected children and their parents, as their current facility accommodates only 240 families annually. “Every year, we are only able to accommodate about 240 families, but if we had a bigger center, we could serve more, as the need is almost triple what we can currently provide. So, as these parents come from far seeking care, we are looking forward to having our own center with UGX 500 million to establish a suitable structure,” she said.
Nalugya commended Mom’s Gather for their ongoing support in ensuring that mothers at the center are well cared for and thanked Liberty Insurance for joining the cause.
Lisa Kusiima, founder of Mom’s Gather, explained their motivation for supporting SHA-U. “We saw the need for how we can support these mums in the community. So for the last year, we’ve been collecting items and money in kind to bring to the home and support them throughout,” she said.
Kusiima and Daisy Sunshine announced that Mom’s Gather is organizing an event on May 3 at Serena Hotel to continue raising support for mothers parenting children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.
