Heroic girl saves pregnant mum, boldly rows her across lake to hospital at 3 am
- Virginia Aoko said her mother, Judith Anyango Akala, woke her up at 3 am on Tuesday, May 18, while in labour
- The denarian said her father had gone fishing in the deeper stretches of Lake Victoria
- In a move that has left many in awe, the girl asked her mother to board a boat, she grabbed a paddle and rowed her to the hospital
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A 12-year-old girl from Rukala village, Busia county, has become a sensation after courageously rowing her pregnant mother across Lake Victoria to a hospital late in the night.
Source: UGC
Virginia Aoko said her mother, Judith Anyango Akala, woke her up at 3am on Tuesday, May 18, and the urgency in her voice prompted her to act fast.
Speaking to Nation, Aoko said she thought her small brother, who had malaria, was convulsing or there was another emergency that required them to move from the camp they were staying after their home was submerged by the back-flow of water from Lake Victoria.
Mother in labour
However, the Class Seven pupil at Budala Primary School found out that her mother was in labour and needed urgent medical attention.
With her father having gone fishing in the deeper stretches of the lake, the denarian knew the fate of her mother's life and her unborn sibling lied in her hands.
In a move that has left many in awe, the girl, in the chilly darkness, asked her mother to board a boat, grabbed a paddle and rowed her to the hospital.
“I was worried that if I did not act fast enough, she might lose the baby and perhaps die from the labour complications,” said Virginia.
With the water hyacinth, tangled reeds, foggy dawn weather, the determined tiny girl rowed her mother the two kilometres stretch to Rukala Health Centre.
She said the facility's nurses quickly responded and helped her mother deliver safely to a baby boy.
“I didn’t want to lose my mother and become an orphan. I also knew if I didn’t take the risk she might have lost the baby,” she added.
In a separate story, a woman was hailed as a hero after helping a lady in labour give birth on the side of the road.
The distressed mom-to-be could not wait until the ambulance arrived as she was already in the process of giving birth.
A quick-thinking Sheree Paulin-Griesel happened to be at the right place at the right time.
Eddie Kirsten shared the story on the #ImStaying Facebook group. He applauded Sheree Paulin-Griesel for helping a pregnant woman give birth on the pavement in Three Rivers.
"Sheree from American Battery Company help delivered the baby before the ambulance arrived. The baby and mom are doing well"
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
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