Virginia Aoko, 13, rows pregnant mother to hospital after floods marooned their camp in Budalangi

Virginia Aoko from Budalangi has left residents in shock after she saved the life of her mother who was pregnant.

At 3am, the 13-year-old girl rowed her mother to the Rukala health centre which is about 10 kilometres away from the camp which they call home.

The mother, Judith Anyango, needed to get urgent medical attention as she was in labour.

“Sasa ilifika saa nne nikasikia uchungu lakini nilikuwa peke yangu kwa sababu watoto nilihamisha naishi huko kwa kambi peke yangu. Ilipofika saa tisa uchungu wa kujifungua ukazidi mtoto anataka kutoka hata maji ilipasuka,” she said.

Virginia says she was in a different room when she heard her mother calling out to her.

When she went to her mother’s room, she found her in pain and decided to take her to hospital on a boat because the village was flooded following heavy rains.

She did this knowing well that rowing a boat would normally require experience and strength of an adult.

The journey took her about two hours.

“Nilichukua boat mamangu akakalia ndani nikamsindikiza hadi hoapitalini. Nilikuwa napotea potea hivyo lakini nilifika. Nashukuru mungu sasa mamangu ako na mtoto,” she said.

When they reached the health centre, the doctors took over and helped the mother safely give birth to her seventh child.

She delivered the baby boy and later expressed joy as she narrated how her daughter had saved her from a near-death experience.

“Huyu mtoto wangu wa leo huyu angekuwa amekufa kwa sababu alitoka kama karatasi imemfunika mwili mzima, na kamba imemzunguka kwa shingo lakini daktari alinisaidia,” the mother said.

On her part, Virgina is asking the government to help them as they live in camps and her education has been disrupted after their home was submerged.

“Mimi kitu ambacho nataka tu kuwaomba ni ya kwamba mutusaidie. Maisha yetu si mazuri. Tusaidie wakati wa masomo pia: kitu kama uniform, vitabu na school fees mkiweza,” the Class 7 pupil said.

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floods Budalangi

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