105 Children

June 12, 2020·44 min·2 clips

In the 1944 Minnesota Starvation Experiment, 36 conscientious objectors were semi-starved for six months—and Jim, 6'2" who began at 175 pounds, said 'the veneer of civilization had been removed, leaving bare the animal underneath.'

The legal claim includes Twalale. It says Serving His Children violated his right to life because the facility was not licensed at the time, and it adds a privacy claim over a photo of him on the organization's social media account. From there, the reporting does something harder than stack allegations. It follows Twalale back to Namutumba, where he had been diagnosed with malnutrition. The referral did not solve much. The health center told Gimbo to buy nutrition supplements, but she said she could not afford the medicine. That is the part that catches. Sophie Mutessi, a midwife at Serving His Children from around 2012 to 2015, describes children coming in from villages when families were already out of options. Hospitals existed; Namutumba was about an hour from two major hospitals. The problem was getting through the door. Gloves, gauze, bed sheets, medicines, even mats cost money, and patients had to pay up front. Serving His Children covered those costs and offered comfort, psychological care, counseling, rest, and help for hungry, undersupplied mothers. None of that settles the case. If anything, it makes the tension sharper. The reasons families came for help sit right beside the questions about authority, licensing, and public images of vulnerable children. By July 2013, Gimbo was pregnant again. Months had passed since the health center visit, and Twalale's condition had likely worsened.

As heard by us

A troubling look at how poverty turns ordinary medical care into a barrier.

The episode is strongest when it stays close to Twalale, Namutumba, and the pressure on families who have to pay for basics before treatment can begin.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you want one child’s illness to show how care breaks down for families who cannot pay.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Missionary