Walk in Freedom Clinics: The Next Step in Ending Jiggers in Uganda

If a child cannot walk, everything stops.

School becomes impossible.
Work becomes painful.
Hope feels far away.

For families affected by jiggers, this is daily life. And for the past fifteen years, Sole Hope has been working to change that reality.

We’ve treated tens of thousands of people through mobile clinics, education programs, and long-term care at The Hope Center in Jinja, Uganda. We’ve seen communities heal. We’ve seen recurrence drop. We’ve seen children return to school and parents return to work.

Success matters.

But success also asks a harder question.

What about the communities we cannot reach regularly?

The Challenge We Still Face

Jiggers are still widespread across Uganda.

The issue is not awareness.
The issue is access.

Many families live far from Sole Hope’s headquarters. Travel is expensive. Roads are poor. For people already living in poverty, getting treatment can feel impossible.

At the same time, government hospitals and health centers already exist in these communities. Families trust them. They rely on them. But most facilities are under-resourced and lack training specific to jigger treatment and prevention.

This creates a gap.

A treatable condition continues simply because help is too far away.

Why Expansion Matters Now

For Sole Hope, the goal has never been to do the work forever.

The goal has been to do the work well enough that communities no longer need us in the same way.

In the areas around Jinja, we are seeing that happen.

Education is working.
Treatment is working.
Prevention is working.

That progress gives us a responsibility to think bigger.

If this model works in one region, it should work in others.

Introducing Walk in Freedom Clinics

Walk in Freedom Clinics are Sole Hope partnerships inside government hospitals that treat jiggers, provide shoes, and help people walk again.

Instead of building new clinics, we strengthen existing ones.

Sole Hope trains government medical staff in safe jigger removal.
We provide tools, supplies, and ongoing support.
We offer education that reduces recurrence.
And we ensure every treated patient receives protective shoes.

Care becomes local.
Care becomes consistent.
Care becomes sustainable.

How Walk in Freedom Clinics Work

Each Walk in Freedom Clinic includes:

• Training for government medical personnel
• A designated Sole Hope focal person at the facility
• Monthly treatment days at the hospital and in nearby communities
• Education for patients and caregivers
• Sole Hope shoes for every treated individual
• Ongoing monitoring and reporting

This is not a one-time visit.

It is a system built to last.

The Impact So Far

Sole Hope currently partners with six government clinics across five districts.

Together, these clinics:

• Treat 60 people per clinic each month
• Serve 360 people every month
• Reach 4,320 people every year
• Provide shoes and education to every patient

Over four years, more than 17,000 people will receive treatment, protection, and a chance to walk without pain.

The Cost and Why It Matters

Walk in Freedom Clinics are one of the most efficient ways Sole Hope serves people.

Ongoing treatment costs about $9 per patient.

To sponsor one clinic:

• $10,000 launches the clinic
• $30,000 sustains a full year of treatment, education, staffing, and shoes
• $40,000 fully sponsors one Walk in Freedom Clinic for Year One

That single clinic helps 4,320 people in a year.

For donors who care about impact, this matters.

Low cost.
High trust.
Clear results.

Why This Model Works

Walk in Freedom Clinics succeed because they respect what already exists.

They partner instead of replace.
They train instead of bypass.
They build capacity instead of dependency.

This approach allows Sole Hope to expand its footprint without losing quality, accountability, or relationship.

It also creates a model that can grow beyond Uganda, including future expansion into neighboring countries.

The Invitation

We are inviting partners to stand with us in this next chapter.

Some will sponsor one clinic.
Some may sponsor several.

Every partner receives regular impact updates, real stories, and clear reporting on lives changed.

But more than that, they become part of a solution that reaches people we cannot reach on our own.

Why This Is the Next Step for Sole Hope

The mission has not changed.

Children still need to walk.
Families still need dignity.
Communities still need hope.

What has changed is our ability to go farther.

Walk in Freedom Clinics allow Sole Hope to meet people where they already are and ensure healing is not limited by geography.

This is how impact grows.

And this is how the work continues.