Unknown outbreak hit Northern Uganda, leave teens disabled and tortured…… The teenage girls fall victims to rape from men who always take advantage.

Nodding syndrome is unexplained neurologic condition characterized by repetitive forward dropping of the head often accompanied by other seizure like activity such as convulsions or staring spells. This has mostly affected children between 7 – 18 years of age. When the disease attack a child, it causes memory loss, among other effects. As a result, some men have taken advantage and exploiting the memory loss caused by the nodding syndrome on the underage victims. A total of 4 cases have been registered by Atanga Health Center III, Pader District – of teenage girls below the age of 18 years, who have been impregnated by men they don’t remember and have no idea, with most of them being too young to deliver a baby and has had complications. The men know very well that, these girls are very weak and incapable of remembering a lot of things but went ahead to impregnate them. Most of the time, this men waylay, rape and impregnate this survivors.

The effect of the disease on the teenage girls are even witnessed by her ignoring her child but when her condition has stabilized, she cares a lot about.  “The teenage mother unconsciously torture her child when there’s the seizure and sometimes wants nothing to do with the child. Last week she came to me when the baby was asleep, she was worried that someone had taken her baby away, but told her that the child was okay” Akumu Margaret, narrates. Most of the time, her mother has to force to breastfeed the baby and also hold the breast to the mouth of the child as she can start nodding anytime.

Whenever these nodding syndrome victims (especially girls) visits the health facilities, they are unable to explain their situation to get soap and other sanitary towels and mostly of the time dirty.

There’s something you can do to change the situation of this girls with $10 donation or in kind by donating clothes, beddings, food aid, medical care, etc.

Please write to nwoyacharity.foundationug@gmail.com if you interests in supporting the plight of this children affected by the nodding syndrom