Mariam is a beautiful, fifteen-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is the fourth born and has a twin sister who is perfectly fine. Mariam was born without any problems, but then got very sick and was admitted in the hospital for a long time receiving medicine and injections. When she recovered, she developed Achilles tendon tightness – a condition which has prevented her from walking properly.
Mariam is unable to fully step down on her right foot, and when she tries to walk a long distance, she feels pain on that foot. Mariam has never been to school, but she used to enjoy herding her parent’s goats together with her twin sister. Currently she can no longer do so because she cannot walk the long distance.
Mariam’s mother died some years back while giving birth to another set of twins. Mariam is now living with her grandmother, who is a small scale farmer and keeps a few livestock. As much as she would like her granddaughter to receive treatment for her foot, she cannot afford the cost of surgery. The surgery, a single contracture release, will allow Mariam to regain use of her right foot and thus improve her gait.
Mariam says, “I will be happy when I am able to walk like I used to so I can help my twin sister herd goats.”