Natangamwaki is a sweet and quiet girl. She is only five years old, but she has already faced major challenges. She lost all the fingers on one hand when she badly burned it as a baby, and has been living with a stump in place of a normal hand ever since.
The African Mission Healthcare Foundation met Natangamwaki during an outreach visit to the rural community where she lives. She was immediately identified as a good candidate for contracture release and skin graft surgery, but her family is extremely poor and cannot afford the cost of the procedure.
For $500, Natangamwaki can have surgery and regain the use of her hand. As she gets older, Natangamwaki is beginning to notice her inability to participate in everyday life the same way as her siblings and peers, and it’s making her hang back from the group. The doctors who submitted her case say, “she stays on the edge of the pack of kiddies but is the first one in for snuggles at quiet time.” This surgery can turn Natangamwaki’s life around, and prevent an early accident from defining opportunities for the rest of her life.
