BUDAKA – Fayima Kudoma, 18, could not smile nor sit on her bed for close to three years, but today she is able to smile and even talk after good Samaritans responded to her plight when her situation was made public.
Diagonised with Epilepsis by medical officers in Budaka, Kudoma although 18 years, the haggard teenager looked like a six year old. She was lean, frail and seemed to be getting weaker.
The story that appeared in PML Daily, an on-line paper about her plight touched Mr John Sugden based in United kingdom and through an local organisation based in Mbale; The Mbale Network of young people living with HIV/Aids he sent food [E’pap porridge] with instructions to feed the girl.
E-Pap porridge contains 28 crucial micronutrients necessary for healthy brain development, immune system functioning, and fighting infections and it has 4 macronutrients (starch, fibre, protein and fat) that aid in the rapid absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body.
According to the mother of this girl Ms Fazira Nambaya,14 days affer she started giving her daughter [Kudoma] e’pap porridge, the girl is able to sit, smile and even talk although with a bit of difficulty.
“When I started giving her this new porridge [e’pap], it worked wonders, I would see this girl turn on her own, I have now seen her smile and greet, this is a wonder porridge, it has changed the situation of my girl. I am happy and I now believe my daughter will be well soon,” said Ms Nambaya.
She explained that if she had got this ‘wonder porridge’ early enough, her daughter’s situation would not have gone so bad like it was before got e’pap.
Mr Sugden told PML Daily that e’Pap has a glycemic Index of 70 and that there are many diabetics across Africa who eat e’Pap to get nutrients to their body and to get well,” said Mr Sugden.
Mr Sugden explained that e’pap is a suitable food modified using the various diet textural levels for liquids and solids as per the guidelines promoted by the International Dysphasia Diet Standardisation Initiatives and that they believe e-pap give Kudoma some energy and rebuild the body cells.
He added that further that e-pap porridge’s micronutrients include: vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, C, D, E, and minerals include potassium, iodine, phosphorus, with 9 amino acid chelates that is good for malnutrition.
Kudoma has been sad girl, she has had to endure a lot of pain in every step because of her sickness for close to three years to the level that she has an emaciated body because she has been down all this long.
When PML Daily visited Kosit in Kadimukoli sub-county in Budaka district. the haggard Kudoma, the teenager looked like a six year old, she was careful while squeaking not to provoke the aching, discomfort of the bones and chest that is linked to the disease that was affecting the normal function of her body but now she is able to respond to a greeting and even smile.
Dr Bernadette Ssebaduka [UNFPA, Rwanda] who identified this girl through a phone contact says e’Pap is affordable and easy to access for people in resource-constrained areas and those who have chronic sicknesses.
She now thinks that through The Mbale Network of young people living with HIV/Aids any added support from good Samaritans will save Kudoma.
“I don’t know whether this girl would be living today, we had given up as parents and today we would like to thank the generosity we got from all people especially Mr John Sugden,” Ms Nambaya said.
“We had nothing to mortgage to save this girl save our small house to pay for treatment but this is God making, she will be well,” She added.
Dr Ssebaduka says e’Pap is a pre cooked fortified food that uses state of the art nutritional chemistry and delivers in a food portion 28 nutrients in a bio-available form but that it is not medicine.
She explained that e’Pap is used across the continent where up to 2 million food portions a month are consumed by the very old, those suffering from HIV/Aids, those suffering from Diabetes and other complicated diseases.
She revealed that for poor people it is near impossible to get access to good food that does not contain vast quantities of refined sugar and that the cause of the diabetes problem is driven by a compromised food chain – refined processed foods remove cereal fat, micro nutrients and fibre.
“In the absence of a proper diagnosis, the e’pap porridge has demonstrated a rapid improvement in Kudoma as she is now able to smile and has started to put on a smile,” said Dr Ssebaduka who has witnessed firsthand benefits of E’Pap.
Mr Sugden says that E’pap has also demonstrated that it has many of the nutrients needed to people with chronic diseases to combat the sickness and also provides great nutritional support for the elderly.
