Smaiya, a two-day-old Tanzanian baby, was born with her bowels exposed due to a defect in her anterior abdominal wall. This condition can be life threatening if not corrected with immediate surgery.
Smaiya is the first born to her parents, who got married a little over a year ago. “Smaiya’s mother is a religion teacher and her father is a small scale farmer and he also works as a self-employed carpenter. They are renting a two bedroom apartment hoping to slowly build their own house in the future,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation.
With $610, Smaiya’s intestines will be surgically reinserted into her abdominal cavity and the hole in the abdominal wall will be closed. Additionally, a three night stay at the hospital and six weeks of stay at a hospital affiliated facility are also included in the cost and will help ensure a smooth recovery.
“We just hope that our daughter will survive,” say Smaiya’s parents. “She is our gift and bundle of joy and we would like to watch her grow up like other children”.