“I would like to go to school like my brothers and sisters,” says Yusuph, a nine-year old boy from Tanzania.
Ever since he was young, Yusuph has been a spunky and spirited child. Watsi’s medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares that as a younger boy, Yusuph simply “did not stay put” and would explore “every little path that allowed his tiny body to pass through.”
However, a recent accident left Yusuph with severe burns on his left arm, and he is no longer able to participate in activities like he used to.
“One afternoon, Yusuph decided to stop playing and walked right into the outside kitchen where there was an open fire,” AMHF shares. “Food was cooking in a pot.” When no one was looking, he reached up to grab the wooden ladle by the stove. However, “as he went to pick up a wooden serving spoon, his cloak caught fire and he couldn’t take it off.” Unable to put the fire out himself, Yusuph cried out for help.
Upon hearing his cries, his aunt rushed to his aid but everything had happened so quickly that Yusuph had already received severe burns on his left arm.
Yusuph sustained severe injuries from the accident, and “is now unable to use his left arm due to severe contracture of the elbow and wrist,” reports AMHF.
With $550, Yusuph will receive contracture release surgery. The cost of treatment includes six-weeks of medical care and a stay at the Plaster House, a surgical rehabilitation center. The surgical procedure will ultimately restore Yusuph’s mobility, granting him a fully functional left arm.
Despite his injury, Yusuph has remained playful and positive. AMHF tells us,“he still helps his parents who are small scale farmers herd a few cattle. Yusuph also enjoys playing soccer and building houses and creating different shapes out of sticks.” Yusuph is eager to return to school and enjoy a more active lifestyle.