Aliou

 

One chilly morning 3-year-old Aliou wrapped himself in a blanket and wandered outside to sit by the fire. No one seemed to notice him sitting alone or that the tip of his blanket was dangling in the flames. Suddenly the blanket ignited around him.

This horrible accident caused terrible third-degree burns to cover Aliou’s right arm and chest, and with limited access to proper medical care, his arm contracted, eventually becoming stuck at a 90-degree angle. His family knew that without access to surgery their little boy would continue to live in pain, and for the next two years, they prayed for a solution.  “I would not stop,” his grandmother Bintou said “I continued to live with the hope that he would be healed.”

After years of watching the small boy struggle with his limited mobility, Aliou’s family was thrilled to hear the news that he might be able to finally find healing.  Thanks to the generosity of people like you, Aliou was able to receive free, life-changing surgery onboard the Africa Mercy and is now able to move freely for the first time in years!

Since his discharge, both Bintou and Aliou have returned home to their small village in Senegal, and Bintou has noticed a significant change in her grandson’s abilities.  “Mercy Ships opened the big door to Aliou’s future… Everything he could not do before, he can do now,” Bintou said. “He is living like a normal boy… and soon he will begin school!”  ​​​​​

Together we are turning lives of pain into futures full of potential — and we simply couldn’t do it without you!