Four-year-old Cecilia lives with her parents in Tanzania.
Open cooking fires are common in Tanzania, and Cecilia’s home is no different. When she was seven months old, Cecilia crawled to the cooking fire and pulled a pot of boiling tea onto herself, burning herself badly. Her parents sought treatment at the district hospital. After the treatment, however, the ring and middle fingers of her left hand had fused, and she had a scar.
One day, Cecilia’s father noticed a car from our medical partner, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT). He asked the drivers about CCBRT, and they referred him to the organization’s disability hospital.
At CCBRT, a surgeon examined Cecilia and said something could be done to correct her fingers and remove the scar. However, her father, a mason, cannot afford to pay for Cecilia’s treatment.
Cecilia is scheduled to undergo surgery to release the contractures on her hand on March 1. Her family needs help raising $1,036 to pay for the operation, as well as one month of hospital care after surgery, food, medicine, medical supplies, and dressing changes.
Cecilia’s father is optimistic that, after treatment, she will be able to attend and succeed in school. He hopes she will pursue her education to the highest level, enabling her to live a good life.