Fatima Bangura

Weighing 10 pounds at 14 months old, Fatima was extremely malnourished. Her unwed mother had died of a tropical illness, something like that of cholera, nine months after Fatima’s birth. Her impoverished, elderly grandmother had taken her in to care for her, but could only provide Fatima with rice to eat. Without protein, Fatima would have soon become another statistic in a country with “the highest infant mortality rate in the world” (UNICEF State of the World’s Children 2005).

Children of the Nations learned of Fatima’s condition on October 15, 2002 and immediately began to make arrangements for her care. Fatima’s condition was so deteriorated that her immune system struggled for several months to fight off a sensitive skin virus. However, with proper nutrition, medical attention, and the care of Fatima’s new COTN mother, she is now described as happy and healthy!