This is Linet, a seven-year-old girl living with her mother and grandmother in Kenya. Her mother works as a security guard while her grandmother relies on her small farm for a living. Like other young girls her age, Linet is attending class three in her local primary school.
During her school holiday in April 2016, Linet fell on a ditch while playing with other children and broke her left leg. She was rushed to one of the facilities owned by Watsi’s medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), and her leg was set with a Robert Jones splint. However, during the process of healing, her leg mended in a less than optimal position. Linet now has a malunion fracture, and a surgery has been recommended to correct the reset bones. Still unable to return to school, Linet walks on clutches and cannot play with other children. Due to her condition and lack of treatment, Linet will not be able to walk without aid. There is also increased risk of her developing tibia infection that may permanently affect her ambulation. However, with her mother’s financial strain and Linet’s uncles as casual laborers, the family cannot support Linet’s treatment.
With $660, Linet will receive the medical attention she needs. Surgeons at AMHF can perform an osteotomy, where a cut will realign her bone fragments and allow for insertion of pins or rods to help hold the bones in the correct position while healing.
Linet shares with us, “I want to be well and go back to school to become a doctor.” Our support will restore her health and put Linet one step closer to her life goal.