Imagine a place of refuge and healing in the midst of an immense and painful epidemic.

The Sole Hope Outreach House endeavors to be just that. Situated on over an acre of land in the middle of Jinja, Uganda, it is a place where five to seven children at a time come to receive medical treatment for the most extreme cases of jiggers.

Jiggers are a nasty little sand flea that burrow under the skin and lay eggs, primarily on the hands and feet. Once they lay their eggs, those eggs can grow to become as large as a pea. They are extremely painful and cause secondary infections like tetanus and gangrene which can lead to loss of limb and ultimately loss of life. 

Treatment at the Outreach House

Within the current Outreach House the children are tended to by the Sole Hope nurse and staff. Their jiggers (usually upwards of 100 per child) are removed, feet bandaged, and treated with antibiotics. 

Recovery at the Outreach House

Once the children have recovered at the Outreach House, they are given a new pair of Sole Hope shoes, made within the Sole Hope workshop from American jeans cut out at Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Parties.

But It's not just about giving shoes though….it’s providing medical care… antibiotics, ointments, testing for HIV, Typhoid, Malaria, and other diseases. It’s holding tearful faces and kissing cheeks that don’t have proper care.

One component of the prolonged treatment of jiggers involves educating the children on proper hygiene, removal process, and being intentional about wearing shoes. Sole Hope's long-term success hinges on their ability to not only provide this care, but to educate for life-long impact.

Outreach House Vision

The Sole Hope Outreach House, along with the Allume Community, desire to provide a place of respite and joy for more children to receive much needed medical treatment, long-term education, and rehabilitation from the painful jigger removal process.   Sole Hope does everything in their power to make this process as pain-free as possible for the children, but because the problem is such a widespread epidemic, short of complete sedation, there are few available options that even make a difference.  Because of the severe cases that are seen in the Sole Hope Outreach House, the process is made more comfortable by offering extended stay and care. 

Currently the Sole Hope Outreach House needs some serious help to get to the point that founder, Asher Collie, dreams of making it. The hope is to furnish it with more  beds, a chalkboard wall, colorful murals painted by a local artist and his art students, a table to eat on, chairs, and an overall cozy and cheerful place to recover.

 

Please Join Us

We invite you to join us as we cross oceans and borders with the love and care we all would want for our own children. Partner with the Allume Community and Sole Hope as we bring new life and hope to the children of Uganda.

Grateful,

Asher Collie (Sole Hope Founder) and Logan Wolfram (Allume Executive Director)