Meet Neema, a one-week-old baby girl. When she was born, her doctor noticed an opening on her back. He referred her family to a bigger hospital, where she received a diagnosis of hydrocephalus and myelomeningocoele––birth defects affecting the brain and the spinal cord.
Treatment was required immediately to limit the risk of infection and spinal cord damage. On November 7, 2016, Neema underwent surgery at our medical partner’s hospital, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Surgeons planned to close the opening on her back and to insert a device to limit pressure on her brain.
Neema is the first born to her mother. They live in a remote part of Tanzania where herding is the main economic activity. Neema’s mother and grandmother traveled for three hours to reach the hospital. They need help to pay for her $1,200 treatment.
“We have traveled very far after hearing she could get treated here,” says Neema’s mother. “We hope she will be okay.”