Arafat is a six-year-old boy from Tanzania who likes singing, reading, and drawing pictures. His father works as a casual laborer who sells onions in the marketplace, and his mother is a stay-at-home mom. Arafat has one sister, and the family of four depends on the father’s small income.
When Arafat was four years old, his mother noticed that he had a regular flu, coughing, and a fever. He could not breathe or eat properly. She decided to take him to the hospital, where she learned that he had enlarged adenoids—the glands located in the roof of the mouth that help fight infections. However, Arafat could not get treated due to lack of financial resources.
Arafat continued to experience persistent flu-like symptoms, coughing, and difficulty breathing and swallowing. His condition affected his ability to attend school regularly. Finally, his family was referred to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Our medical partner has scheduled an adenoidectomy to remove the enlarged adenoids for April 6. The treatment will allow Arafat to breathe and eat normally, and he will no longer experience constant infections.
To fund the surgery, our medical partner has requested $609. Arafat’s family has subsidized the cost by $50.
“I will be very happy if Arafat gets treatment and is able to attend school properly,” says Arafat’s mother. “He is so smart. I would love to see him grow up and become a doctor.”
