A single mother with HIV passes the deadly disease to her baby Neema, the father has already passed away. In the bush of Tanzania, though her other children were seen in the village, the mother hid the child away denying her serious condition. The rumor spread through the village about the child. Emmy the Director or Matonyok Children’s Home heard the story and approached the mother about this “other” child. Emmy convinced the mother to allow Neema to come to the Home for care. However, Neema’s disease was advanced and treatment critical.
Haven of Hope’s emergency fund “Where Needed Most” provided insurance for basic care, but Neema’s needs were beyond this funding. With limited insurance the treatment options were few at the local clinic in Arusha. She was sent by ambulance to Kilimanjaro Medical Center. There, Neema slipped into renal failure and was placed in ICU. Her condition deteriorated and she became unresponsive. A request was made to Haven of Hope International for assistance. Alice contacted an advisor, who began consultation and reached out to other physicians. With compassion that crossed the ocean, emergency room doctors, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, the doctor at the local clinic in Arusha and the treating doctors at Kilimanjaro Medical Center gathered to consult on Neema’s condition, facilitated by Haven of Hope International.
Neema, precious child at Matonyok, currently receiving urgent care for her illness.
The highly skilled but under-resourced team in Tanzania shared with the USA team to discuss treatment options – the team of advisors stepped up to cover the cost of the lifesaving treatments. A couple of days after the first dialysis, Neema awoke and asked for some water and food. Now, three sessions into the treatment plan, she is responding, eating and her weakened kidneys are producing. The battle is far from over, but this is such a wonderful example of the Family of Hope in action pulling together to give Neema every chance possible. In the absence of family support – our Family of Hope has once again provided hope and options that would otherwise not be available. Neema still needs consistent medical support, as do other children at Matonyok Children’s Home. Please click here to support the Matonyok Medical Needs campaign.