This is Zakia, a two-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is the youngest of five siblings and lives with her mother who works hard as a small-scale farmer.
Zakia was born with bilateral club foot, a congenital condition in which the feet are turned inwards about 90 degrees. The toes face each other instead of facing outwards. This has been hard for Zakia; it takes her a long time to stand up and she is not able to walk. Additionally, she is at risk to develop painful osteoarthritis in her feet.
Despite these challenges, Zakia is resilient. “Zakia is a cheerful little baby girl,” our medical partner writes. “Although she cannot walk, she still joins other children when they are playing by sitting close by and cheering.”
Zakia’s mother wants the best for her daughter but is unable to pay for the corrective surgery Zakia needs. “My hope is to see my daughter able to walk like the rest of my children so that she can go to school and later get a job,” she says.
Watsi donors, you can make this a reality. For $715, Zakia can receive a casting procedure and a surgery called a tenotomy to correct her clubbed feet. These two procedures will allow her walk and finally keep up with all of her friends!