Disclaimer: This image was AI-generated to conceal her identity in line with ethical journalism standards.
By Charles Mkoka
For years, Neema has lived with unexplained health complications. Recurring bleeding, chronic weakness, severe back and waist pain, breathing difficulties, and emotional trauma that worsened after childbirth.
Now living in Mikwambe, Kigamboni, the mother of an eight-month-old baby says she is fighting not only for her own life, but for the survival of her child.
In an exclusive interview, Neema described a life marked by illness, interrupted education, financial hardship, and long-standing family rejection, yet also defined by her compassion for vulnerable children she once helped as a volunteer social worker.
“There was a time I had already prepared myself to write a message that if I die, this child should be raised by someone else, probably a care center,” she said.
Her condition, which began years ago while she was still in college, includes episodes of heavy bleeding, persistent body weakness,, and frequent hospital visits. She said the symptoms intensified after pregnancy and childbirth, leaving her unable to walk long distances, carry heavy items, or even perform routine household chores without severe pain.
“I thought after giving birth I would recover, but my child is now eight months old, and I am still in pain,” she said.
The most serious symptoms include lower back pain, hip pain, leg weakness, breathing difficulties, and severe fatigue, all of which have made it nearly impossible for her to work.
Doctors at local facilities reportedly advised her to seek further assessment at a major referral hospital, where she needs X-rays, orthopedic review, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and broader diagnostic tests unavailable at district-level facilities.
Her case also took a seriously psychological turn after delivery, when she says she developed postpartum depression, including suicidal thoughts and moments of mental distress triggered by pain, sleeplessness, and the pressure of caring for a crying infant.
“At one point, I felt like I was losing my mind. I even feared I might harm my baby when the crying became too much,” she said.
Hospital counsellors and social welfare officers advised her to seek a quiet and stable environment to support recovery, but a lack of finances and complicated family dynamics have made that difficult.
For now, she is staying with a relative in Kigamboni to protect her mental health and reduce exposure to stress and noise.
Yet despite her own suffering, Neema’s story is also one of service.
Before her health deteriorated, she worked in sales roles for two banks, ran small businesses selling clothes and flour, and volunteered as an informal social worker helping vulnerable street children access hospital care, food, and social welfare support.
She recalls escorting children to hospitals in Kigamboni, linking them to social welfare officers, and ensuring they received treatment and meals, yet found herself in need of that with no hope nearby.
“Helping people gave me joy. Even when I had my own struggles, I could not ignore someone else’s pain,” she said.
Today, however, she is the one in urgent need of help.
She says community members occasionally send small amounts of money, enough for food, milk, or transport, but the support is inconsistent and far from sufficient to cover her growing medical needs.
Her immediate priorities include transport to hospital appointments, food, baby supplies, specialist consultations, scans, physiotherapy, and basic bedding, as she currently sleeps on a mat on the floor with her child.
“What I need most right now is enough money so I do not miss transport to the hospital, food, and the specialist care doctors have recommended,” she said.
Neema’s case highlights the harsh intersection of maternal mental health, chronic illness, poverty, and weak access to specialised care, especially for women navigating postpartum recovery without stable support systems.
For a woman who once spent years helping abandoned children find safety, the battle has now become intensely personal: surviving long enough to raise her own.
