Help children with sickle cell syndrome

Dear donors,

Thank you for your help. Find below a transcript from the last chat we had with Shu and her daughters.

Before this assistance, it was bad. My children would go to the hospital only sometimes, we did not have money to pay for drugs. They suffered and were not stable. As we started getting this stable assistance, we have been able to keep treatment. Before and now there is a lot of change concerning their health. We afford all drugs and supplements that boost their immune system. Now it is better, there’s a lot of change. I buy them every end of the month and they take them for 26 days.

The cash received goes only for drugs right now, I take care of the feeding by buying firewood and selling it. I need other sources of income. If they have a different health issue or a crisis, I need more money for treatment. If that happens it comes from my income or I have to beg. The regular treatment has improved because the doctor has introduced Pen-V, which costs about half of the cash transfer.

Queeneva: I’m 15 years old and I like fashion design. That’s what I would like to do when I grow up. I’ve been having the dream to build an orphanage for children. I also like dancing and hairdressing.

Joy: I dream to be a doctor. I like ballet dancing and modern dancing. I always play Tabala on my phone. Sometimes teachers don’t believe I am sick, they call me a liar. My mother taught me to be strong and forget about them. I’ve learned to not cry and not show my weakness. To have the heart and the courage. I believe with God with time we will be healed and be well.

Shu:

Joy also loves baking, anything she sees that someone is baking she wants to copy and try it herself. She also loves to prepare yogurt.

My plan to overcome this situation is to create something that can give me a monthly income. Settle down with a good business. Have something that can sustain the family. I am thinking of buying dry fish in bulk and selling it here. Currently to survive we have the firewood business, this grant, and some friends who occasionally send me money. I usually call them whenever we have a crisis.

We thank you and we hope God can help you give more so you can help other children, there are many others like my children in this neighborhood. Most organizations don’t focus on children with sickle cell, I don’t know of any other organization supporting them. Now that my children are teenagers their situation is becoming more critical. There are good drugs and supplements in the hospital, but most families can’t access. If they don’t eat well, they fall into crises. We need a balanced diet for these children. They don’t play too much, they don’t do sports, they can’t interact like other children. Once the teacher beat Queeneva (physical punishment) without knowing her condition, they called me because it devolved into a medical crisis, and I had to take her to the hospital. I had to restrain myself. The child was telling her she was not fine, and the teacher was just saying she is lying.

• Note, after feedback from other contributors and conducting this interview, we have raised the planned monthly support to 91$ a month, from the previous 50.
• We thank the Cameroon Association for Vulnerable People, the association implementing this project in the field. https://cavp-cameroon.org/programs