Halima — rebuilding life after mpox with Mastercard Foundation-UNICEF support. скачать в хорошем качестве

Halima — rebuilding life after mpox with Mastercard Foundation-UNICEF support.

When Halima's 10-year-old son was severely hit by mpox, life came to a sudden stop. She depleted all her working capital on his treatment. She stocks a hundred freshly hatched chicks which she feeds and sells to the roadside chicken roasters. She had no money left for the feeds, her lot of hundred birds were facing starvation, and her family struggled to meet basic needs. But through the ‪@UNICEF‬ –Mastercard Foundation humanitarian cash transfer programme, Halima received timely financial support that helped her buy food, pay for medical care, and rebuild her small business. With her son now fully recovered, Halima is using her experience to encourage others to seek early treatment and to never lose hope. Her story is one of strength, recovery, and resilience — showing how even a modest cash transfer can restore dignity and stability for families hit hardest by health emergencies. From its onset in July 2024, Uganda’s Mpox outbreak spread to more than 65% of districts, leaving thousands of families struggling to cope, families with children among the hardest hit. For many, recovery took weeks or even months, often at the cost of lost income, high medical bills, and mounting financial stress. To ease this burden, UNICEF Uganda, with support from ‪@MastercardFoundation‬ and partnering with the Lutheran World Federation, launched a humanitarian cash transfer programme targeting families with children affected by Mpox. The humanitarian cash transfer programme targeted1,300 vulnerable households in the most affected districts — Kampala, Luwero, Mukono, Nakasongola, and Wakiso. The initiative provided timely financial assistance to help households meet urgent needs — from healthcare and food to transport — while supporting their path to recovery and long-term stability. It also strengthened household resilience, ensuring children continue to access essential services even during health emergencies. By tackling the economic strain that lingered even after recovery, the programme gave families the means to rebuild their lives with dignity and resilience. #InvestInUGchildren