Mary is a 12-year-old girl from Tanzania who is the second born out of seven children. She dreams of working as a nurse in her district’s hospital. Mary used to attend primary school, but had to stop in her fourth year. The long walk to school is too difficult for Mary to manage because she has knocked knees, which causes her a lot of pain when she walks and puts her at risk for developing early arthritis.
Even though she can’t go to school, Mary works hard and helps her widowed mother with chores around the house. Her mother grows vegetables, beans and maize to sell, but barely earns enough to cover the family’s expenses. Mary’s uncle has been working to find a way for Mary to get surgery so she can go back to school.
“I miss going to school and playing with other students. I hope I can be treated so that I can go back to school and also be able to help my mother fetch some water, firewood and do other things,” says Mary.
For $940, we can fund Mary’s corrective surgery to fix her knocked knees. This will allow her to walk without pain and get back to school, so she can achieve her dream of becoming a nurse!