Zainabu is a 10-year-old student and the youngest in a family of six children. She is an intelligent, social, and hard-working girl both at home and at school. She is currently in class four and will be joining class five next year. Her best subjects are English and Swahili, and she proudly shared that she was position three in her class in the final exams this year. Go Zainbau :)!
Zainbau loves to help her mother with home chores. Her parents are small scale farmers who sell maize, sorghum, and vegetables to make a living. They use most of their harvest of food for their family and are able to sell a few harvests in order to buy other basics.
Zainabu was diagnosed with bilateral genu varus, or bowleggedness. This condition causes her legs to bow outwards at the knee. It is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she has great difficulty with walking.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Zainabu. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 5th. Treatment will hopefully restore Zainabu’s mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications.
Zainabu’s father shared, “My daughter has been having difficulty walking for a while, but I was unable to help her due to financial challenges. My family and I are grateful for your help.”