Bilal’s Story
Bilal, one year old, arrived at Selam hospital to receive cleft lip treatment.
Previously, Bilal visited one of our programmes but could not receive surgery due to malnutrition. He received nutritional support, thus returning this June when he was strong enough for surgery.
Both of Bilal’s parents were shocked by his condition and chose to hide him away and keep him from social situations. Bilal’s mother told us;
‘The comments from neighbours and friends placed significant stress on me and it made me so angry when I was confronted with questions about my son’s condition. Some people ask me, why did it happen? What type of sin did you do? Because of these comments and this attention, I am depressed and keep my child hidden.’
“I hope my child can now go to school and play with his peers without any problem like other children do, and also that people from my community stop commenting on his condition. I am very excited about Bilal’s future and I’m very grateful that Bilal was able to receive this free treatment.”
She told us that the nutritional support that Bilal received changed his life and brought the whole family joy.
‘Project Harar should continue providing this blessed work to our communities.’