It’s hard to believe that in July we’ll be celebrating Thoko’s 5th birthday, as it seems like only yesterday she first arrived at our doors.
Thoko was brought to Open Arms as a tiny baby on the day she was born, having experienced a traumatic delivery during which she had sadly lost her mother.
As we were soon to discover, the difficulties at birth had resulted in some brain damage, and when she was just a few month’s old Thoko was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Nevertheless, this didn’t stop Thoko from developing into a beautiful, happy child, always full of smiles for everyone who spent time with her, and both the staff and other children at Mangochi soon fell in love with Thoko and her cheerful nature.
We had hoped that over time Thoko’s extended family would want to make contact and begin to form a relationship with her, but despite our attempts to encourage this, unfortunately this didn’t happen.In 2014 it was therefore decided that, in order to give Thoko the best chance of fulfilling her potential, she ought to move to Blantyre, where better medical facilities are available to treat her condition and where she would benefit from regular physiotherapy at the Sandi Rehabilitation Centre. Of course, it was very hard saying goodbye to Thoko, as she was such a vibrant part of the ‘family’, but everyone knew that the move would be in her best interests.
And what a positive move it has been! We were delighted at how well Thoko settled into the home in Blantyre, quickly making friends with the other children as if she had known them all her life. She now attends the Sandi Centre twice a week and has additional support to help her movement and development. She is also learning to use a specialised posterior walker which was used by Edina another of our children with cerebral palsy.
In Malawi, getting the right advice on equipment for Thoko and Edina can be a challenge, as what is available locally is so limited.
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
Donate