How does illness affect a child’s education?

Many children have to drop out of school because of serious illness. Without help, they may never be able to get the education they need.

I recently treated a seven-year-old boy called Mamopi. Below I relate Mamopi’s story, and how we helped get him back to health, so he could return to school.

Mamopi: A boy too weak to attend school

Mamopi had been sick for a while, but no one had been able to tell his parents what was wrong with him.

He was too weak to go to school, and his parents had to miss a lot of work to care for him, which left them struggling financially.

They spent all their savings on medications, but nothing helped.

Diagnosed with tuberculosis

When I heard about Mamopi, I visited the family and advised them to take him for a scan.

He was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis.

I helped his parents come up with a treatment plan, showed them how to administer the treatment and explained about how best to care for him.