Not everyone will be able to return from working in the fields this week. Cholera is taking a deadly toll here, especially among those who are forced to tend their crops in areas where no medical help can be found. And yet one has to eat and feed one’s family, so many take this deadly risk. Some want to make sure their family is safe, and never return themselves.

Nyirazuba, 40, reached our hospital with her last strength. On her own, not wanting to inconvenience anyone, she tried to treat herself with garlic, but without medical help she would have had no chance of survival. Cholera can lead to extreme dehydration and kill in just a few hours.

Thanks to your long-standing support, an isolation tent delivered straight from Poland was ready to receive infected patients. We rushed to help immediately, opening a cholera treatment centre in Ntamugenga. The way it was organised was much appreciated by Médecins Sans Frontières, who are fighting cholera in another region. And although we have been able to treat all the patients so far, the situation is becoming more precarious by the day. The number of sick people like Nyirazuba is increasing.

We have launched a fundraiser on the homepage. We urgently need to purchase antibiotics, extra IV drips, bedsheets, cleaning products and medical equipment (e.g. lamps) that will allow the doctors at Ntamugenga hospital to safely examine and treat patients at any time of the day. We also need funds to build additional sanitary facilities. Only by responding quickly can we bring the situation under control together!