“I will be happy when I am able to run as fast as my friends,” shares Lujeri.
10-year-old Lujeri lives in Tanzania, where he is the third-born in a family of six children. Lujeri is in the second grade, and his favorite classes are reading, mathematics and Swahili. He also likes to play football with his fellow pupils.
When he was six years old, Lujeri’s lower limbs slowly started bowing inwards, forcing him to knock his knees when walking. His condition, known as genu valgum or “knock-knees,” kept getting worse to the point where Lujeri can no longer run fast. He also sometimes feels pain in his knees.
Lujeri needs surgery to help him walk properly again and to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age. However, what his parents earn as small-scale farmers and herders is not enough to cover the cost of this surgery on top of daily expenses for their six children.
But there is hope for Lujeri. For $940, we can sponsor the operation that will correct both of his knees. This sum will also provide Lujeri with the two weeks of physical therapy and the three-month stay at a recovery center, Plaster House, he will need to recuperate safely.
Let’s make Lujeri’s dream of running and playing with his friends into a reality.
