The Festival of Shavuot falls on May 21-23, 2026 (6-7 of Sivan, 5786). Chag Sameach - Happy Holiday!
Support the Jewish Community of
Mbale, Uganda
For several years, I have been connected with and supporting the Jewish community of Nasenyi in Mbale, Uganda, as well as the other Jewish families in the region. My involvement has been ongoing, though at times intermittent, responding when I am able to immediate needs such as food security, educational materials, and religious resources. This page will hopefully serve as a way to share their story and, when possible, invite partnership in strengthening Jewish life there.
I am including ongoing campaigns below, if anyone is able to donate to help our fellow Jews in Mbale, Uganda. Todah Rabbah!
These are two of the incredible community leaders I work with in Mbale. On the left is Jonathan Mwosuko, and on the right, Esau Kulabe. Both are wonderful teachers in the Nasenyi Jewish community of Mbale, and work tirelessly to help their fellow Jews get food, education, and Jewish rituals to enhance and improve their lives.
Campaign: An Urgent Call for Emergency Maternal Care in Mbale, Uganda
In many villages in Mbale, Uganda, mothers and newborn babies are dying from conditions that doctors can treat easily. The problem is not medicine. The problem is distance, lack of transport, and no emergency response.
Recently, a young mother in our village went into labor late at night. There was no ambulance, no nearby health facility, and no trained medical worker who could reach her quickly. By the time her family tried to take her to the hospital, she had already lost too much blood.
She died.
Her newborn baby also died.
This is the painful reality in many of our villages.
Women die from postpartum hemorrhage, obstructed labor, ectopic pregnancy, infections, severe anemia, and complications like preeclampsia and eclampsia. Many women who survive difficult labor develop obstetric fistula, which can destroy their lives physically and socially.
Newborn babies die from neonatal sepsis, birth asphyxia, hypothermia, and infections because they are delivered in homes without sterile equipment or trained medical support.
These are preventable deaths.
Last December, I graduated as a Certified Enrolled Nurse, and my passion has always been to save lives and help vulnerable people, especially girls who cannot afford even basic sanitary pads.
Recently, a compassionate friend from the United States, Victoria, sent us emergency medical supplies. This inspired my team and me to begin organizing a community paramedical emergency response team to help our villages during emergencies.
But we need help to make this possible.
Our dream is to establish a small community medical center and obtain a used van or ambulance so we can respond quickly when emergencies happen, especially at night when many mothers die.
Having a small building would make this project sustainable because we would not need to spend money on rent. Instead, we could focus completely on saving lives.
This center would serve the entire community, including the Jewish community in Nasenyi village and other nearby communities, regardless of affiliation.
We are also humbly asking for used but functioning medical equipment, including:
• Portable ultrasound or radiology machines
• Blood pressure monitors
• Oxygen concentrators or cylinders
• Infant warmers for newborn babies
• Patient monitors and pulse oximeters
• Delivery beds or maternity beds
• Suction machines
• Sterilization equipment (autoclaves)
• Glucometers and basic laboratory equipment
Even used equipment can save lives here.
Every mother who dies leaves behind children without a mother and families broken forever. These deaths should not be happening in our time.
If you can help in any way — with donations, medical equipment, a used van, building support, or by connecting us with organizations that support rural healthcare — please reach out.
One vehicle. One small medical center. Many lives saved.
Thank you so much.
CAMPAIGN: A Dignified Burial for Esther
I received a message this week from my friend Jonathan Mwosuko in Mbale, Uganda — someone I have worked with for years. I have sent Hebrew learning materials to their community and watched, over video, as they studied and prayed with sincerity and hope. I trust him. I trust that these needs are real.
One of the young women who had attended my classes, Esther, has died. Esther endured profound trauma in her life. She was HIV positive and had been receiving antiretroviral medication. When international aid structures shifted and medications that had once been freely available were no longer accessible without payment, she could not continue treatment. Jonathan tried to help, but the cost was beyond what he could manage locally.
She died in pain.
The hospital will not release her body for burial until the remaining balance is paid. The amount still needed is 1,369,000 Ugandan shillings (approximately $375 USD).
We are not trying to do something grand. We are trying to do something basic and human.
We want the community to be able to give her a proper Jewish burial. To be laid to rest with dignity.
If you are able to contribute, any amount will help clear the remaining hospital bill and cover funeral expenses. I will collect the funds and send them directly to Jonathan in Mbale via Remitly, as I have done reliably in the past. I will provide confirmation once the funds are transferred, and will happily send folks additional information, if you have any questions or concerns at all.
The needs there are enormous. I cannot meet them all.
But together, we can meet this one.
A link for donations is included below. Thank you.
