“It Takes a Village To Raise a Child”
Nailantoi
Nailantoi poses with the girl in Ward 1.
There’s an African proverb that says it takes many people (referred to as “the village”) to provide children with a safe, healthy environment. In northern Tanzania, parenting is more collaborative than individual and a child's upbringing belongs to the community regardless of the child's biological parents. These communal societies have shared values for raising children, thus making it a collective social responsibility.
This story of solidarity and collaboration in a community in our catchment area proved that the proverb is more than just words but a common practice. It's a story of a supportive community coming together to help a sick child and her family.
Nailantoi* is a 46-year-old businesswoman from a village 100 miles from FAME. She has been admitted to FAME’s inpatient ward for the past five days with a sick child that is not hers. She is not a friend of the child’s family or a relative. She didn't meet them until seven days before she came to FAME.
“I was walking home from my shop one evening when I saw a man and a little girl sitting outside our local clinic, which was now closed. They were unfamiliar to me, but they were clearly distressed, with the father pacing up and down and the little girl crying. I approached them and the father told me that he had come in the morning to bring his sick daughter to the hospital and the doctor had asked him to bring her back every day for an eight-day injection. Their home was 40 miles from the clinic, with poor transport making it impossible to go back and forth for eight days. He also had no money to pay for a place to stay, so I invited them to my home.”
The father and daughter lived at Nailantoi’s house for seven days. The man would walk his daughter to the clinic from her house every day, a five-minute walk.
“On the seventh day, I told the father that I had to make the long trip to Karatu to get new stock for my shop, but they were welcome to stay and finish the injections. However, it was clear that his daughter’s condition was getting worse. Her face was swollen and she regularly cried in pain. So when he asked if I could take her with me to Karatu and take her to a hospital, I immediately accepted. In my culture, a child does not belong to the parents but to the village, so it is my responsibility just as much as the parents to ensure she is well.”
Nailantoi had been to FAME three years ago when her daughter was diagnosed with pneumonia and a friend recommended FAME. She and her daughter had made the long trip to seek treatment and were happy with the quality of healthcare they received. This experience made Nailantoi confident that FAME could help the little girl.
Once at Karatu, Nailantoi brought the girl to FAME first as she thought it would be a quick visit to pick up medication. She planned to go to the market that afternoon to buy goods for her shop and return home on the evening bus. Sadly, this was not to be.
At FAME, the girl was diagnosed with Kwashiorkor, a severe form of malnutrition. She weighed 9 lbs at three years old. She had swelling (edema) that had started on her legs and spread to the rest of her body, including her face, resulting from malnutrition. She was also diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctors recommended that she be admitted to Ward 1 for immediate medical intervention.
FAME’s Dr. Ken Karanja examines the girl.
“I was shocked when they told me the child had to stay at FAME. They said she was sicker than we thought and needed close monitoring and treatment. I was scared she could die as only very sick people sleep in a hospital. Without any doubt, I had to stay with the child, so I canceled my afternoon shopping trip. I called home to tell them I won’t return but would be home the next day. I didn’t know we would be here for more than one night. Today is day five.”
Nailantoi is happy that the girl is showing significant signs of improvement after just five days. The FAME team has her on a special formula for malnutrition, antibiotics and vitamins, among other treatments. According to FAME’s Pediatrician Dr. Elissa Zirinsky, they expect the girl to stay in the inpatient ward for at least another week. First, they need to fight the edema and then they can work on getting her to gain weight.
Nailantoi calls home while on a walk with the girl.
“I am happy she is doing well. Sadly, I can only stay here for another two days. Her mother just had a baby three weeks ago, making it impossible for her to come. The villagers back home are looking for someone to stay with her when I leave. My shop has already been closed for five days and I need to return before my customers move on to another shop! Every day when I take her for a walk around the hospital, I call my family to see how they are doing. My youngest is only five years old and can be a handful, but my husband tells me that our families and neighbors are helping him care for our six children, so I know they are in good hands. I’m happy that others support my family as I support this child! The FAME staff has also been very supportive of us. They explained the course of treatment and involved me in the decision-making. I’m confident that when I go home, I can explain in detail what is wrong with her and the kind of treatment she is getting. Thank you, FAME.”
*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical.