Victims
Allan Sembatya, aged 7 Years old.
Allan was brutally attacked in an attempted ritual sacrifice. First they tried to cut off his penis, leaving his left testicle irreparably damaged- they then tried to hack out his brain, leaving him a 1/4 brain dead, before they finally began to chop his head off. Allan is one of the lucky ones, he survived.
The attack on his brain has left him with what is termed “Petite Mons Epilepsy”- which causes him to become disconnected to reality, unaware of his surroundings for long periods of time. This occurs, according to the father at least 3 times a week and presents itself with the additional symptom of bleeding through the nose and ears. He will have to take epilepsy medicine for the rest of his life.
He has equally been left with a 4cm wide hole in his skull where his brain is left unprotected. He desperately needs surgery to prevent further damage to his brain. And as if this was not bad enough, the muscle in his penis has been severed, meaning that Allan will never have a normal sex life. In a country where pride in masculinity rules, how will he cope with the social stigma of such an attack.
When RACHO met Allan, he did not play with other children, and was kept in virtual social exclusion by his father who was fearful that he may be attacked again.
RACHO has given Allan the opportunity to regain some semblance of normality back in his life, and provided the family with the money to pay for medical bills.
Allan has received physiotherapy-therapy to help him regain the use of his left arm and leg, that were rendered immobile following the attack on his brain. He has also received counselling by our team of trained professionals, who through art and play therapy are helping him come to terms with the trauma he has suffered, and will continue to help him through his life to deal with the lasting scars of the attack and its aftermath.
Since RACHO have met Allan, he has turned into a different boy; He now laughs, smiles and plays with other children his age. We as an organisation will continue to support Allan and his family and provide them with the building blocks they need for a stable future.
We desperately need help to fund Allan’s continuing medical and therapeutic expenses. He is in need of brain surgery to re-build the part of his skull that is missing. If this was done in Uganda, it would cost £1500.
But Allan is really just one of many children that need our help. Please help us to help them and donate today.