“I hope the mass on the back of my daughter’s neck can be removed. I think once the mass is out, my baby will be able to grow normally. She will be strong and grow up to become an independent young lady,” says Riziki’s mother, Agnes.
This is Riziki, a two-year-old girl from Tanzania who was born with a small lesion on the back of her neck. Over time, it has gotten larger, and Agnes worries that her daughter will not be able to develop properly.
“Riziki is delaying in all of the developmental stages,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “The mass on the back of her neck can rupture at any time and leak cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). It is life-threatening to have an open lesion and lose CSF.”
Currently, Riziki’s mother works as a small-scale farmer. Her husband is looking for work in a neighboring country but has not returned home since before Riziki was born. Agnes cannot afford the cost of surgery, which is where we come in! $1,100 will fund the surgery to remove the mass on Riziki’s neck. “Riziki will have a better chance to grow normally and become independent,” explains AMHF.