Welcome to Luo Care, a charity which pays for health insurance for the poorest widows and their children in Simbiri and its surrounding area,  Western Kenya.

It only costs £45 to give a widow and all her children health insurance for one year. Since we set up Luo Care in 2013, we have registered 164 widows and 650 of their children. Thanks to the generosity of donors, they are guaranteed medical treatment whenever they need it.

For the full story, click here to watch a short film (Since this film was made, the Kenyan government raised the health insurance premium from £15 to £45. We will have to correct the film – apologies.) Meet a few Luo Care beneficiaries:

Pamella, Eunice and Linet share the same problems. There’s no electricity or running water. They live in mud huts with earth floors, cook outside and carry water for washing and drinking from muddy holes in dried up river beds. Being used to poverty doesn’t make it easier for them.

Simbiri and its surrounding area is one of the hardest places to live in Kenya. 20% of children die before they reach the age of 5. The most common causes of death among adults and children are HIV related illnesses, malaria and typhoid.

People easily recover from these illnesses if they are caught early. But widows and children don’t have a penny to spare on health insurance so a curable illness often turns into a killer which leaves children as orphans. No wonder the women dread falling ill.

The only lucky break they’ve had is Luo Care paying their insurance premiums. £45 a year, less than £1 a week, for health insurance is a bargain. It’s peanuts for us, but an impossible fortune for the likes of Caroline.

Registered Charity 1167786

The insurance costs £45 per annum for one family. It’s great value, but an impossible fortune for the likes of Caroline.  All donations are very gratefully received, but what’s really fantastic is donors who pay £45 annually through direct debit to Luo Care ensure any required hospital treatment for years to come. Mothers like Caroline are restored to health and return home to their children. Lives are saved instead of people dying because they can’t afford medical fees.

If you’d like to find out more, check out the FAQs .

 

 MY DONATE – ALERT

The My Donate system of donating to any charity is no longer in operation. If you set up a standing order for Luo Care using My Donate, we will no longer receive the money. Please could you check with your bank to make sure no more money is being deducted through that system, and take out a new standing order using your name as the reference so we can see who the donation has come from. Many thanks.

To make a donation, please contact Sheilagh or Ann.

annegankenya@gmail.com         sheilaghmatheson@gmail.com