We were sticky and sweaty from walking from house to house, delivering mosquito nets on a hot and humid day in Gaba, Uganda. Children, dogs, and even the chickens stared at us wondering what the “muzungus” or “white people” were up to. 

Nankya invited us into her small concrete home with a neatly swept dirt floor. During conversation, Nankya told us that she had a daughter who is disabled. She graciously accepted the mosquito net and listened intently as we explained how important it is for her family that she utilizes the net. But all our minds were on her little girl. As soon as we finished the instructions, we asked her to take us to her daughter, Tina.

We discovered Tina sitting on a makeshift highchair. She is so small for her age and so weak, I couldn’t help but reach to touch her small limbs. As I rubbed her shinny and skinny legs, Tina smiled and locked eyes with me. How can I express the emotion that struck my heart?  A warm feeling covered my chest and my breath was taken away with hers.

We informed Nankya that a free wheelchair would be available for Tina the next day at Gaba Church’s first wheelchair distribution. Her mother looked at us with doubt in her eyes. Had we not just given her a mosquito net, I think she would have not believed us! We gave her all of the information about the next day’s agenda and left wondering if she would in fact come.

The next day, Nankya had gotten up early with Tina to make her way to the Church. Tina was dressed in a beautiful dress for this special day. We were elated to see them! We were also quite surprised when we noticed she had brought along her neighbor whose daughter also needed a wheelchair. They were registered immediately and as soon as the distribution started, each of the girls received their long awaited wheelchair. The two mothers couldn’t have been happier!

Nanyka does not know what is wrong with her daughter. She has never been diagnosed.  However, she does know that God loves her and has taken care of her most pressing needs - a mosquito net to protect her family from malaria and a wheelchair to give her daughter mobility. For these two things she is forever grateful!