Story Publication logo October 14, 2015

Uganda: George's Story

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Image by Jae Lee. Uganda, 2015.
English

In rural Uganda, lack of access to healthcare results in disability and death. What can be done?

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Waani Mubakalim (far left) with his father Tuusa George (middle) and his mother Alilwa Jessica (far right). George explains how his son, Mubakalim, became disabled. Image by Jae Lee. Uganda, 2015.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 10 percent of Africans live with a disability. Ninety percent of children with disabilities in Africa do not attend school.

In countries where there are hardly any social security nets, disability leads to a destructive cycle of poverty. Yet many disability cases could have been prevented with prompt treatment.

Pulitzer Center student fellow Jae Lee from Washington University follows the story of a boy who was taken to three health centers but did not receive treatment—it was the lack of care that led to his disability.

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