Help a child like Alemnesh to walk
-
-
© CBM
One of the first things you notice about Alemnesh is her infectious smile. Despite years of pain and torment, she's kept on bravely smiling.
A child who cannot walk needs your urgent help. Please will you send a loving gift to help another child like Alemnesh? If you can send your urgently needed gift today, you’ll completely transform that child’s life for the better … and change their future.
I say ‘urgently needed’, because with every week that passes, our field workers encounter more children with disabilities who – because of the extreme poverty they live in - have fallen through the cracks. They have already been waiting for too long. In pain. In distress. And I cannot stand the thought of them waiting any longer.
I’m talking about children with club foot and other birth defects. Little ones who have acquired disabilities through horrible accidents or during emergencies like natural disasters and war. Children who have never even been to see a surgeon.
I’m talking about children with club foot and other birth defects. Little ones who have acquired disabilities through horrible accidents or during emergencies like natural disasters and war. Children who have never even been to see a surgeon.
Meet Alemnesh
Children like Alemnesh, who I’d like to tell you about today …
Alemnesh was a happy go lucky child, but then one day, when she was just two years old, disaster struck.
First, her older sister, aged 12, died suddenly in a tragic accident. Then, just three days later, while her mother, Fanose, was still reeling from the shock of losing her eldest child, little Alemnesh found what she thought was a bottle of water in a plastic bottle. Sadly, she was wrong. It was kerosene.
The effects of kerosene poisoning in children can be catastrophic - from skin and internal burns, to airway damage, convulsions, coma, and even death. Fortunately, Alemnesh survived, but her ordeal was a terrible one.
As Fanose recalls …“I borrowed 600 Birr from friends to take Alemnesh to the hospital. She stayed there for 3 months. But they didn’t treat her as well as they could have, because I didn’t have enough money. They even forced us to leave the hospital because I didn’t have enough money.”
600 Birr is around €22, which may not seem like much, but for someone living well below the poverty line in Ethiopia, it’s a small fortune. About twice as much as Fanose needed for her family to survive every month.
All the while Alemnesh was in hospital, she was in terrible pain. The kerosene had damaged her little body inside and out. And without proper medical care, she did not heal quickly. She developed terrible bed sores on her torso and legs. And by the time she was sent home, they had become deep and badly infected. So bad in fact, that they damaged Alemnesh’s leg muscles to the extent she lost the ability to walk.
Alemnesh was a happy go lucky child, but then one day, when she was just two years old, disaster struck.
First, her older sister, aged 12, died suddenly in a tragic accident. Then, just three days later, while her mother, Fanose, was still reeling from the shock of losing her eldest child, little Alemnesh found what she thought was a bottle of water in a plastic bottle. Sadly, she was wrong. It was kerosene.
The effects of kerosene poisoning in children can be catastrophic - from skin and internal burns, to airway damage, convulsions, coma, and even death. Fortunately, Alemnesh survived, but her ordeal was a terrible one.
As Fanose recalls …“I borrowed 600 Birr from friends to take Alemnesh to the hospital. She stayed there for 3 months. But they didn’t treat her as well as they could have, because I didn’t have enough money. They even forced us to leave the hospital because I didn’t have enough money.”
600 Birr is around €22, which may not seem like much, but for someone living well below the poverty line in Ethiopia, it’s a small fortune. About twice as much as Fanose needed for her family to survive every month.
All the while Alemnesh was in hospital, she was in terrible pain. The kerosene had damaged her little body inside and out. And without proper medical care, she did not heal quickly. She developed terrible bed sores on her torso and legs. And by the time she was sent home, they had become deep and badly infected. So bad in fact, that they damaged Alemnesh’s leg muscles to the extent she lost the ability to walk.
Rehabilitation and support for Alemnesh and her family
-
-
Alemnesh is determined to walk by herself when she can. Here she is with her best friend Kokob
When CBM first met Alemnesh, she was so weak, she was close to death. The first thing CBM supported community workers did was to obtain local government financial support for Alemnesh’s family.
But her ordeal was far from over.
Yes, she would live. But her leg muscles had been so badly damaged that she could still not walk. That’s where amazing people like you came in.
Through the generous help of CBM supporters like you, we were able to give Alemnesh the surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitative care and equipment she needed to get back walking again.
However, it has not been an easy journey.
The doctors and nurses at Alemnesh’s hospital honoured her bravery with a nickname. They called her “The girl who refused to die.” But once her life was saved, it was giving and compassionate people like you who helped to heal her legs so she could walk again.
So far, Alemnesh has had three and a half years of regular appointments with a CBM community worker. At first to teach Fanose the exercises needed to restore the damaged muscle in Alemnesh’s legs. And later to help her to stand by herself, and begin using a walking frame.
Fanose will never forget one special, special day . . .
“It was here in the house early in the morning. Alemnesh turned towards the door to the yard, put one foot forward, slowly, and began to walk. I was so happy I cried and shouted to my neighbours to look. They came running to see what was happening and they all cheered and danced, praising God.”
People like you achieved this. Good, kind, caring and compassionate people like you.
And you can do the same again for another child like Alemnesh by sending a loving gift of €60 today. Or more if you can. Because however much you can send, your gift will help a child living with immobility to stand tall and walk.
But her ordeal was far from over.
Yes, she would live. But her leg muscles had been so badly damaged that she could still not walk. That’s where amazing people like you came in.
Through the generous help of CBM supporters like you, we were able to give Alemnesh the surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitative care and equipment she needed to get back walking again.
However, it has not been an easy journey.
The doctors and nurses at Alemnesh’s hospital honoured her bravery with a nickname. They called her “The girl who refused to die.” But once her life was saved, it was giving and compassionate people like you who helped to heal her legs so she could walk again.
So far, Alemnesh has had three and a half years of regular appointments with a CBM community worker. At first to teach Fanose the exercises needed to restore the damaged muscle in Alemnesh’s legs. And later to help her to stand by herself, and begin using a walking frame.
Fanose will never forget one special, special day . . .
“It was here in the house early in the morning. Alemnesh turned towards the door to the yard, put one foot forward, slowly, and began to walk. I was so happy I cried and shouted to my neighbours to look. They came running to see what was happening and they all cheered and danced, praising God.”
People like you achieved this. Good, kind, caring and compassionate people like you.
And you can do the same again for another child like Alemnesh by sending a loving gift of €60 today. Or more if you can. Because however much you can send, your gift will help a child living with immobility to stand tall and walk.
Help a child like Alemnesh to walk Downloads
-
How you can help a child walk
PDF, ~ 211.0kB
