In the dry, remote plains of Karamoja, Uganda, the closest health clinic is more than 60 kilometers away, reachable only on foot or by bicycle. For Nabakooza Sarah, a mother of three, that distance became a symbol of unbearable loss.
She was in labor with her fourth child when complications arose. With no transportation and no trained birth attendant nearby, her baby died just minutes after delivery. The silence of that moment changed her life.
“I didn’t want any other woman to go through what I went through,” she says, her voice steady but eyes filled with sorrow.
Despite having no formal education, Sarah enrolled in basic health workshops held by humanitarian volunteers in neighboring towns. For months, she walked several hours weekly to attend sessions on safe delivery practices, emergency response, and maternal nutrition.
Armed with knowledge and sheer willpower, Sarah began assisting other pregnant women in her village. She used herbs, clean cloths, and makeshift tools sterilized over fire. Her small mud hut turned into a birthing space. Over the next three years, she helped deliver more than 120 healthy babies.
When IDCC captured Sarah’s story, it touched hearts across borders. Donations from viewers led to:
- The construction of a local maternal care center with solar lighting.
- Sarah is receiving formal certification and a small monthly stipend.
- Training programs have been set up for 10 other women in the region.
- Partnerships with mobile health units to visit Karamoja twice a month.
Sarah is no longer just a mother or a midwife. She is a symbol of grassroots healthcare activism, proving that a single act of pain can birth a movement of healing.
Tagline: In a land where clinics are out of reach, compassion became the cure.
