Samuel is a toddler from Ethiopia. He is the second child and loves playing with his older brother. He also loves to take milk and Plumpy Nuts, a nutritional treatment donated by the government for malnourishment, as many children in Samuel’s area experience malnutrition. Samuel’s parents separated, and he, along with his siblings, is being cared for by his mother. She works in the community market, which is a community-organized venture that operates one day a week. On the other days, his mother buys and sells bread from bread makers for a profit. Due to the area’s high poverty levels and rocky topography, drought and water shortages limit food production, so many families receive food donations of maize and wheat from the government, which also helps Samuel’s mom support her family.
Samuel was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. His mom brought him to a local health center, where he was referred to the hospital. Unfortunately, before treatment could begin, war broke out and forced Samuel and his mother to return home without any treatment. Samuel’s mom has been deeply concerned about his health. However, she was filled with hope after meeting with a social worker from our medical partner’s care center and learning that Samuel’s condition is treatable. With that hope, she traveled three days to the care center for Samuel’s surgery.
Samuel is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on December 12th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility.
Samuel’s mom said, “I hope I will see my child healed and pass urine just like other children.”
