The second largest country of Africa, full of paradoxes. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, copper, coltan, crude oil, diamonds, gold); on the other hand, its inhabitants are among the poorest in the world. For decades, the DRC has been suffering from prolonged conflicts that have led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
04.08.2021
Meet Adidja. The parents of this little star are Muslims, hence such an original name which is not very common in Congo. You have helped Adidja a lot. This is another child saved through your support in our Congolese hospital.
One day Sister Agnieszka received an SMS from a woman who briefly described the story of her niece. Sister Agnieszka receives more and more such text messages asking for help, since doctors in rural medical centres are helplessly spreading their arms in many situations. Ntamugenga has long since earned the reputation of being a centre “for hopeless cases,” and news of this is spreading by word of mouth to the most remote villages in the province.
The text message implied that the girl had apparently undergone an appendectomy in March. The parents were not sure. They did not understand much of the doctors’ explanation as they were not very outspoken in sharing their knowledge of the patient’s condition. A few weeks after the operation, a noticeable lump appeared in the girl’s abdomen. Her discomforts also intensified. Pain became Adidja’s inseparable companion. The parents were afraid of the hospital and even more afraid of the bill for another operation.
“I wrote back to tell them to come visit us and to prepare for a longer stay. I promised that we would try to find out what was wrong with their daughter and that they should not worry about the cost of the diagnosis. They arrived the next day. They really wanted to help the suffering child. The girl, already accustomed to pain, was one of our bravest little patients,” Sister Agnieszka recalls.
We performed a basic diagnostic assessment of Adidja, which in itself is a rather uncommon set of tests for Congolese conditions. A few analyses and an ultrasound image were enough to confirm that we were dealing with an internal ulcer. The girl immediately underwent surgery and stayed with us for another 3 weeks until the wound healed and the antibiotic treatment was finished.
She left the hospital smiling. All the costs of her treatment were covered by you and your regular High-Fives! When the family got home, Sister Agnes received another text message from Adidja’s Aunt: “I have no words to express our gratitude to you and how delighted we are that there are still people as good as you in this world.”
Take part in the High Five! project and, without any major sacrifice, join us in producing even more good and happiness in this world.
30.01.2019
… thanks to sister Ewa and two sewing pro volunteers: with their help, our vocational school in Dakar has transformed into a fashion studio. Under the watchful eye of their teachers, 13 students who had expressed an interest in sewing were able to participate in a special workshop. The girls had four days to create […]