Adeline’s Story
Rwanda
Adeline, a journalist and devoted single mother of two in rural Bugesera, Rwanda, faced one of the most distressing moments of her life when her daughter Tania became gravely ill with severe malaria.
Rushing from work after receiving a panicked message from Tania’s school, Adeline found her daughter burning with a high fever of 39.8°C, dehydrated, and shaking. The hospital told her Tania’s condition was critical, with her organs at risk due to the lack of oxygen.
“I was so stressed out, I couldn’t walk, talk, or even reach out to family for support. All I could think about was saving my daughter… I thought I was losing her,” Adeline recalls. For eight hours, doctors struggled to stabilise Tania's condition.
The ordeal took a toll on Adeline’s emotional and financial well-being. Without health insurance, Adeline was forced to pay for private hospital care, and as Tania’s only care giver she couldn’t work for three weeks – further straining her ability to provide for her family.
Malaria remains a persistent problem in Adeline’s community, where mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Yet, there is hope. Adeline is grateful for the Rwandan government's thorough efforts to combat the disease. She talks about the use of drones to spray mosquito-infested areas and the regular spraying of homes with insecticide to kill the deadly Anopheles mosquito, which transmits the malaria parasite. The government also goes door to door with leaflets and information that encourage residents to sleep under mosquito nets and keep their surroundings clear from overgrown bushes and stagnant water.
Adeline believes that protecting vulnerable groups, especially children and pregnant women, is crucial for the future of the country.
Adeline is full of hope that Tania, who has struggled with asthma from a young age, will fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor and helping others. Inspired by the medical care she received, she hopes one day Tania will be saving lives from malaria, helping to make her mother’s vision for a healthier future for all a reality.
