A Story with a Happy Ending
When 17-year-old Hawanatu Conteh first arrived at the Holy Spirit Catholic Hospital, a small sore on the outside of her right leg had grown into a devastating wound after 11 months without healing. The hospital’s wound-care team introduced her to Africa Surgery because the injury had become so severe—and her family could no longer afford the ongoing cost of treatment.
Africa Surgery stepped in.
For nearly a year, we covered the cost of regular wound cleaning, bandaging, and medical care, giving Hawanatu the treatment she desperately needed. Then came an unexpected blessing: a team of visiting specialists from Germany provided her with a skin graft free of charge at Choithram Memorial Hospital in Freetown.
Her journey wasn’t over.
Following the surgery, Hawanatu continued for two more months of wound care and physical therapy before returning to our base. She then completed her outpatient treatments at Choithram’s, finally being discharged on May 22.
After more than two years away from school, Hawanatu is ready to begin the next chapter of her life.
Rather than returning to a traditional classroom, she dreams of learning a trade that will allow her to support herself and her family. She hopes to enroll in the two-year tailoring program at our base in Freetown.
The cost to sponsor her education is just $250 per year.
This is another example of what your donations to Africa Surgery make possible. Your generosity didn’t just help heal Hawanatu’s leg—it restored her hope, her independence, and her opportunity to build a brighter future. Now, with the help of a caring sponsor, she can take the next step toward that dream.
Would you like to help change Hawanatu’s life? If you are interested in sponsoring her through Africa Surgery’s Student Sponsorship Program, please contact Tom Johnson at johnsontomn@aol.com.
