“Kishumwi is a happy and friendly six-year-old boy,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). His parents are livestock keepers who herd cattle in Tanzania, and Kishumwi is the youngest of four siblings.
Two years ago when Kishumwi’s father was looking for a school for his son to attend, Kishumwi got very sick. “He kept getting weaker and his left leg started to bend inwards,” AMHF tells us.
Doctors diagnosed him with a condition called genu valgus, also known as knocked knees. Kishumwi is now unable to walk properly and sometimes complains of pain in his left leg that goes all the way up to his hip. This is caused by abnormal bone development, and in Tanzania a major cause is due to an excess of flouride in the water.
When Kishumwi first developed symptoms, “his parents gave him some herbs, which didn’t help his leg, but after some time he was able to walk with a funny gait,” explains AMHF. “With three children going to school and other extended family members looking up to Kishumwi’s parents for support, coming up with enough cash to cover the cost of Kishumwi’s operation has been difficult.”
“Despite his inability to walk properly, Kishumwi likes to socialize with other children, playing football and other outdoor games when he does not feel pain,” says AMHF. He even will help his parents with their livestock work.
$940 will pay for Kishumwi’s treatment, which is a combination of surgery and casting to cut and realign his bones and joint. This will allow him to walk properly and pain free without knocking his knees, and will reduce his risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age.
Despite Kishumwi’s condition, his family does not lose sight of the importance of education. “Kishumwi is my only son and I will be happy to see him able to walk properly. I still plan to take him to school,” says Kishumwi’s father.
