Rose Natabo faces a harrowing decision at dawn. She leaves her firstborn son behind, taking her youngest, Santo, wrapped to her back, and holding the hand of her middle child, James, as they walk toward help. Their journey leads them to the only hospital in Kakuma, a vast refugee camp in Kenya’s northern desert. This camp, the world’s third-largest, becomes their home after they fled war and disasters. The camp’s residents, including Rose, depend on dwindled food rations after the World Food Program (WFP) loses U.S. funding. Despite aid workers’ warnings about food scarcity, Trump administration cuts affect over 300,000 Kakuma refugees.
In the pediatric malnutrition ward, nurses face challenges treating severely malnourished Santo. His body, swollen from protein deficiency, struggles as they feed him milk cautiously. Days later, James, Rose’s five-year-old, battles malaria and returns home to live with his elder brother, Lino, in uncertain conditions. Rose remains at the hospital, worried about her children.
July fades into August, and Rose becomes weary. She waits with other mothers, hoping for Santo’s discharge. She considers leaving despite knowing the risk, burdened by fear of leaving her sons alone. A nurse, Mark Kipsang, conducts a medical check on Santo, who can’t yet leave. Rose, strengthening her resolve, discovers she’s pregnant. This complicates matters, as she faces anemia risks and learns about others with similar conditions in the hospital’s prenatal ward.
On August 7, Rose decides to leave. Against medical advice, she insists, tearful, worried about her other children. The doctor reluctantly discharges Santo, noting the risk of tuberculosis. Rose packs their belongings and sets out, her pregnancy and burden in tow.
Their return home reveals the children scavenging for remnants of nutritional supplements. James, barefoot, struggles; Lino’s thin frame stands stark. Rose’s resolve cracks as hunger hits home. The deteriorating situation forces Rose to contemplate returning to South Sudan, a place she’s fled for survival.
By August 11, at an outdoor clinic, James and Santo receive diagnoses indicating severe malnutrition. The clinic, short on supplements, hands them limited aid. By October, Rose welcomes a daughter, naming her Sunday. Despite new food rations from WFP, the children’s malnutrition regresses. Santo, especially, suffers. Attempts to save him fail by November 25, marking his death despite hospital care.
Rose’s journey highlights the inescapable struggles in Kakuma, reflecting the severe crisis and inadequate aid affecting refugee lives.
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