Josephine becomes a Nurse after being a patient all her life
Josephine is a 22yrs old, raised by a single mother in Buyikwe after the passing of her father when she was nine. She comes from a humble family background where the family livelihood is derived from subsistence farming. Her mother farms on a small piece of land for her daily food, selling the surplus to cater for family needs, including school fees and medication for Josephine. Josephine has had sickle cell disease since childhood, and so struggles with occasional pain and is vulnerable to infections. Due to the low family income, her mother managed to pay for her school fees up to lower secondary level. Josephine dropped out of school after completing senior four.
In 2021, Josephine joined HFLK, seeking assistance to further her education. She was given an opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse as she joined Jinja Midwifery and Nursing school. She has been studying nursing for the past two years and completed her training in June 2023, obtaining a certificate.
Joining the nursing course has already impacted on the family since Josephine is practically in the hospital most of the time, enabling her to be seen quickly for her sickle cell, reducing the costs they would incur if it had worsened. Josephine has learnt to manage her condition and with this knowledge, she intends to support other sickle cell victims, especially children who receive less attention from their families. She plans to sensitise communities about the disease and teach others how to care for the victims; reducing stigmatism, while giving hope.
Beginning of July, Josephine started to volunteer in a sickle cell clinic at Jinja Hospital. She is very thankful for the opportunity to bring hope to many people battling the same condition.
We continue to create an empowering platform for young women to enable them to achieve their dreams and attain financial independence. Josephine is among the many young ladies that now believe the sky is the limit.
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