Working with Sole Hope for the second time, we focused on jigger parasite removal from people's feet, shoe supplies and infection prevention training. This project focuses on funding 12 jigger removal + education clinics in 2021 in Jinga, Uganda.

Healing Soles All Year Long, Mite is partnering with 

 for the second time on their Zero Jiggers Campaign! They conduct clinics throughout rural villages in Uganda, removing thousands of jiggers in a single day. Jiggers are small parasitic fleas that burrow into the hands and feet of individuals before laying eggs. They cause pain, isolation, and loss of toes among thousands of people in Uganda. They prevent children from going to school, mothers from fetching clean water, and fathers from working.

BUT they are preventable with correct hygiene, shoes, and education on how to live a jigger free life. Today you can provide much-needed relief from jiggers and the harmful effects they cause by helping sponsor 12 jigger removal + education clinics in 2021.

Working with Sole Hope for the second time, we focused on jigger parasite removal from people's feet, shoe supplies and infection prevention training. This project focuses on funding 12 jigger removal + education clinics in 2021 in Jinga, Uganda. 

Jinga, Uganda

Sole Hope

Zero Jiggers - Uganda

We hope you will enjoy this awesome celebration video on the completion of our year long Zero Jiggers project 24! 

Here is your celebration video!

Throughout August Sole Hope’s medical department reached 80 patients and removed a total of 10,605 jiggers in the Bugishu region which covers Bududa, Manafwa, and Namisindwa districts.
 
Hope Center admitted 51 patients with severe jigger infestation and, over two weeks, provided them with an educational and hygienic environment for treatment. In an effort to reduce the jiggers infestation rate, a total of 884 shoes were produced from the workshop this month! 

August Report on Jigger Removal Clinics

The follow-up clinics in the areas where Sole Hope provided outreach services in the past six months show a significant reduction in infestations. Out of 268 patients examined, 90% had no jiggers in a community that was previously having high jigger infestation rates. The communities visited were in Buikwe, Jinja, and Mayuge districts. Other key activities of shoemaking, patient pick up, resettlement, and follow-ups were carried out by respective departments during the course of the month.

June Project 24 Jigger Removal Clinics Update

The month of March was filled with significant activities and breakthroughs. Our partners' team first conducts pre-clinic visits to communities to assess the magnitude of jigger infestation and mobilize patients.

Ten clinics were conducted, reaching 435 patients, of which 5,629 jiggers were removed. The boys are the most affected with 55% of jiggers removed, followed by the adult men at 21%. Patients were given care kits to conduct rechecks and removal in case of any identified jiggers. The medical team ensured that all patient’s wounds were cleaned and appropriately dressed. All patients and other vulnerable individuals were given shoes to prevent re-infestation and other infections.


April Zero Jigger Project 24 Update

Throughout February, our partner Sole Hope was able to treat 346 patients during six jigger removal clinics. The patients recorded 2,900 jiggers, the majority being extracted from boys. Over 600 community members received closed-toed shoes during the clinics.

 Out of the 2,900 jiggers removed, 872 were from a family of eight severely infested children reported in January. On January 12th, 2021, Sole Hope's team organized a clinic in a home with ten members, two adults, and eight children between the ages of 3-13 years. These children lived with their grandmother, a 75-year-old widow, in a three-roomed semi-permanent house that was dusty with sand fleas in every corner. 

Sole Hope's team extracted 318 jiggers from the children's bodies. However, the staff pleaded with the grandmother to allow them to take the children out of their current environment as they spray and prepare their house for complete healing. She accepted that the children be moved to the Hope Center to properly care for and manage their jiggers.
 
While at Hope Centre, 848 jiggers were extracted from the children's body parts, including feet, fingers, lips, and private parts.
Prior to this, these eight brothers and sisters dealt with constant agonizing pain that affected their sleep and schooling. The children often sat or laid in one place for a long time without moving due to the difficulty and pain they faced because of the parasites. 

Today the children are running and playing together as they should be! They have been educated on how to live a jigger-free life and received closed-toed shoes they wear daily. Extension workers sprayed their house before they resettled from the Hope Center to prevent future fleas from entering.
Because of supporters like you, these transformation stories are possible! Thank you for helping change the lives of these eight children along with thousands of others.
