Like most six-year-old boys, Sifaeli enjoys drawing, painting, and playing Legos with his friends. He lives in Tanzania, and is the fourth oldest in a family of six children. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), describes Sifaeli as “very talkative and friendly, but sometimes a bit shy.”
Sifaeli was diagnosed with severe fluorosis, or a misalignment of the knee joint and femur. AMHF explains that in Tanzania, there is an excessive amount of naturally occurring fluoride in the water, which causes bones to curve.
“His bones are bent to the extent that it looks like he has mild clubfoot [when] he walks,” states AMHF. His knees frequently hurt, and sometimes while walking, he bends over to hold his knees to try to alleviate the pain. He is unable to walk or run fast, and he is unable to wear shoes.
Sifaeli’s parents are small-scale farmers who grow and sell maize and beans to support their family. They cannot afford their children’s school fees or other basic needs, let alone Sifaeli’s operation. If Sifaeli is left untreated, there is a high risk of him developing early osteoarthritis.
For $940, we can help cover Sifaeli’s three rounds of surgery, 15 days in the hospital, and another two weeks of recuperation at Plaster House—a rehabilitation facility. The surgery, known as osteotomy, is a procedure in which the bones are broken and then realigned in the proper position.
After the treatment, Sifaeli will be able to walk to school by himself, pain-free.
Sifaeli’s father shares, “It hurts to see my son the way he is while three years ago he was perfectly fine. My hope is for a successful treatment so that my son can walk normally again, have the ability to go to school, and grow up like other children.”
