According to the UN, it is one of the least developed countries in the world. It has one of the lowest values of HDI (Human Development Index). It amounts to 0.4, placing Burkina Faso on the 185th place among 188 countries.
Gisele won’t say the words every mother wants to hear. The nine-year-old can show her affection with a gesture. A firm hug until her mother is breathless. But one fit of terrifying detachment is separated from another only by a poignant silence, or a sound that is an attempt to communicate but takes on no form.
Gisele’s mother has not been able to find the reason why Gisele does not speak and experiences seizures during which she falls, becomes rigid and cries. Lack of money for diagnostics meant that she could only wait for the seizures to pass. We could not accept such powerlessness.
Thanks to your support, we were able to start the diagnostic process right away. Countless tests – neurological, imaging (MRI and EEG – all in Burkina Faso!), ENT, speech therapy paid off.
The girl suffers from epileptic seizures, so we immediately put her on medication to stop them!
We suspect an autism spectrum disorder, which we are monitoring and further diagnosing
The lack of speech is not due to neurological problems. Gisele also has excellent hearing (and this is great news!)
Gisele needs the support of a speech therapist who will patiently, from scratch, teach her to utter words. Once a week, our cheeky girl gets provisions from us, goes to class and patiently practices her speech, quickly making progress. We have not forgotten about neurological care either: epileptic seizures can return at any time.
We want to provide Gisele with a minimum of three months of speech therapy and neurological care.
Gisele’s therapy, all the travel, provisions, neurological check-ups and medicines cost money. Prices in Burkina Faso are not far from Polish prices. If you want to help Gisele say the most beautiful words in the world: make a small donation – even if it is the equivalent of a sandwich for the road. We know that together we can do it!
The amount of the fundraiser (PLN 7023) corresponds to three months of therapy with a speech therapist, including educational materials, transport and provisions for all days of classes.
15.02.2024
Let’s go! Though for now it’s more like “Let’s run!”… Delayed flight and a forced half-kilometer sprint with a backpack and suitcase. What’s the reward? Gate K3 is open. We’ll be in Lomé by evening. And we really want to take you with us! The plan is to visit our pharmacy’s beneficiaries in Saoudé – […]
03.08.2023
Although there is a shortage of food in Burkina Faso, its production is further restricted by… safety concerns. The authorities have banned the cultivation of tall cereal crops. Maize fields are a potential hiding place for jihadists and a route for their expansion southwards. Imagine how paralysing this must be in terms of fear and […]
27.06.2023
Catherine looks at the sewing machine as if she has been given the keys to an expensive car. This is the reward for 3 years of difficult cutting and sewing lessons, ending with an exam. She passed and will therefore take up an apprenticeship at a tailor’s atelier any day now, and then she can […]
