Jalila Noah Jirada

Jalila Noah Jirada lives in Farandallah, a small village in South Sudan. Recently, Jalila experienced a terrifying situation that no expecting mother ever wants to go through: a premature birth.

When Jalila was five-months pregnant with Nancy, she started to notice unusual things happening to her body, which she believed could affect her baby’s health. She went to the nearest clinic, who then referred her to Dr. Tom Catena’s Mother of Mercy Hospital in Gidel. For two more months, she experienced the same problems, until the hospital staff decided that the best course of action would be to deliver the baby at just seven months.

Each year, approximately one million children die due to premature birth complications. Fortunately, the generosity of Sudan Relief Fund’s donors have provided the Mother of Mercy Hospital with the right tools and medicine needed to save countless lives, including those of Jalila and her baby Nancy.

Jalila has said, “To those who send us medicine and other supplies: thank you for remembering the poor people like us. I am very happy because of you. If this hospital was not here, I would have suffered a lot and most likely my child and I would have died. God bless you.”