Navad – More Child Surgeries

We are meeting Navad, Javan, Mariam, Lobikieki and Magda in January 2025.

They are 5 of 945 Children through an African program morechildsurgeries.com run by Child Surgeries Tanzania

This is Navad’s story – it's a brilliant one.

Navad is an 8-year-old boy from Kasulu, Kigoma. He sustained injuries after a motorcycle accident with his mother when he was only 15 months old. His mother lost consciousness, and Navad was severely injured. After regaining consciousness, they were supposed to go to a hospital, but they were unable to do so. Navad stayed home with his mother for six years without receiving any medical care until he was found in July 2023, still crawling. He underwent surgery on both legs, though one leg healed well while the other didn’t. I can learn off Navad and I have.

Navad was found

Transported from his home to an Arusha Hospital in 2023

During assessment

Operation Decided

Theatre

Theatres used at Selian

W.H.O. Checklists we follow

These are operations we sponsor. Navad’s not all filmed

W.H.O. Checklist for Navad - his real one

Navad's leg had to be amputated, a prosthetic made and then months of rehab

Ready to go home almost a year later

Home

Where does Navad live?

According to the 2022 national census, Tanzania has a population of around 62 million.

Medically

Economically Tanzania is and surrounded by poorest countries in the world

Economically Kasulu is poor by Tanzanian Standards

Kasulu Town is the largest city in Kigoma Region, and the fourteenth most populous city in Tanzania with a population of 238,321 as of 2022. Agriculture is the main income-generating activity in the Region. Over 85% of inhabitants depend on crop and animal husbandry. The main food crops are maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and banana. The main cash crops include coffee, tobacco and sugar cane. The per capita income of each individual in the council is estimated at Tshs. 685, 000/= per annum. Industrial contribution to the GDP of Kasulu Town is very minimal due to very little investment. (Wikipedia)

Tshs 685,000 = $376 AUD

Income in Kasulu is 1/3 of Tanzania’s avg & Tanzania is 9 % of world avg.

SOLUTION: After 1000 surgeries @ Selian Hospital (where Navad had operation), building a ward to take children out of general ward for safety.

If that goes well we will build a wing and then finally one of the first children's hospitals in Sub Sahara Africa.

Elizabeth Selian Hospital 2022

Elizabeth Zilper Outreach 2023

Magda and the Machete Man.

In a part of world near Tarangire, a national elephant park on the border of the Serengeti, Maddie and I were sitting down on plastic chairs, in front of the most basic of buildings of earth construction, marveling at the free playing and running of Magda…..when I looked up and saw from the corner of my eye, an incredibly fit and muscular man in his early 30’s bolting through the fence towards us, with wait for it ….. a machete.

I looked at Letion for some reassurance and he had a grin developing as he too had seen this man….. this was Magda’s father and he had come back from the rice paddies, dropped the machete a metre from me, thrust out his hand to shake, smile and say something with emotion – it translated to thank you, I am deeply grateful.

1/2 hour later we were on our way having met a family who was dirt poor financially, but young, vibrant, and rich with everything else many of us want – a strong family connection.

One of their children just needed a one-off hand and a little made all the difference, not only for Magda, but also her family.

Jovan

Is one of those boys who you just can’t help but love. His current good health is also a testimony to the improvements of the Zilper and Selian collaboration and the power of mobile phone telehealth and Letion’s persuasion abilities.

Nov 2022 – the video you can see is what Letion submitted after I said I can’t help any more children in 2022. Letion was in Kigoma (12 hour bus ride away) from Selian Hospital. Jovan was getting sicker and sicker with his massively inflamed abdomen. Anyway Letion was due to return the next day, so the video was sent to Dr Elibariki and he reviewed that evening and said bring him in for tests. Jovan came back with Letion and was fed for nutrition for 2 weeks in Babati before his operation in Arusha to fix a troublesome spleen.

This is Jovan in Dec 22 at a Christmas party dancing. He went home a few days later.

This is a picture I took of Jovan in Jan 2023 as he was back for a check-up at Selian having been brought over on the bus by Kigoma ambassador (paid $150 a month) to streamline and escort 40-60 children from the region who are helped by Selian and now another nearby Arusha hospital, where a German club foot specialist Anne Marie flys in yearly to operate.

This is about an app, tech and great surgery in remote Africa – it can work and locally.