UGANDA: En utrolig kvindes fantastiske livshistorie (flashback)
·38 min·3 clips
A Ugandan woman is told she has HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer, and must fight to stay alive for her children.
This episode is the third and final part of a miniseries recorded in the Acholi Quarter of Kampala, Uganda. Host Palle Bo introduces Susan Laker, a woman in her late 30s who co-leads the 22 Stars Foundation. Susan recounts being forced into marriage at age 13 by her parents, who sought to protect her from abduction by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). She had her first child at 13, a miscarriage at 14, and a second child at 15. After her first husband died, she was forced to remarry another soldier, who was later deployed to Somalia and never returned. Struggling to feed her three children, Susan became severely ill and was taken to Kampala, where she was diagnosed with HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer. Her children, aged 5, 8, and 10, worked crushing stones in a quarry to earn money for her medicine and food, making less than 50 cents a day. After nine months of treatment, she became tuberculosis-free, then cancer-free after another nine months of chemotherapy. Her HIV is now managed with medication. Susan learned English as an adult after meeting Stella, a Dutch-German lawyer, who helped her start the 22 Stars Foundation. The foundation began by sponsoring 16 children, including Susan's daughter Peace, and has grown to support 450 children's education. Susan emphasizes using her story to combat stigma around HIV and early marriage, advocating for education to prevent similar hardships. The episode includes historical context on Joseph Kony and the LRA, referencing the 2012 Kony campaign. Palle Bo concludes by directing listeners to the foundation's website for support opportunities.
