Seven-year-old Dorcas is from Tanzania. She is the fifth born out of five children. Our medical partner tells us that she is shy with grown-ups but chatty with other kids, and that she likes to draw and color pictures. Dorcas’ parents are small scale farmers who also have two milking cows. Their milk is for home use and the farm produce gets split into two, with half for home use and half for selling.
Six months ago, Dorcas developed a pimple on her foot. When she scratched it, it bled a bit and turned into a small wound which her mother thought would heal quickly. Instead, the wound continued to grow and is now gangrenous. Dorcas cannot walk at all.
Our partners at the African Mission Healthcare Foundation have established that Dorcas’ leg must be amputated below the knee to save the rest of it and prevent the infection from spreading. “My daughter has not been able to walk for a long time now. I just hope that she will be able to walk, even by using crutches,” says Dorcas’ mother.
With three children going to school, Dorcas’ parents cannot afford to pay for the surgery their daughter needs. $800 will cover the full cost of surgery, medication, hospitalization, and a new prosthetic lower leg so Dorcas can walk again.
