A new heart for Safia

Eight-year-old Safia is a lively girl who lives at SOS Children's Village Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Her mother was not married when she was born and she and her family have never met her father. Safia's mother died when Safia was still a baby, leaving her to be cared for by her old grandmother, a widow with very little money. Her grandmother was also caring for several other grandchildren that were also left behind when their parents (her children) died. She lived in a small, two-roomed shack in the slums of Dar es Salaam. In June 2008 Safia came to SOS Children's Village Dar es Salaam along with three other children who were being cared for by their grandmother.

During her very first medical examination at the SOS Children's Village, Safia was found to have a congenital heart defect known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). This heart condition, which is fairly common, tends to cause children to be short of breath and get ill. If not treated this condition may lead to congestive cardiac failure. In most cases children with PDA need to be taken for surgery overseas, most often to India, which is a very expensive process. However, just as the diagnosis was made, the Tanzania Heart Institute, a well-known heart hospital in Dar es Salaam, was hosting the 5th African Heart Seminar, which brought together key heart surgeons from all over the world. As a result, on 21 July 2008, Dr. Ferdinand B. Massau, the founder and President of the Hospital, offered to perform surgery with the assistance of an international team of surgeons at a reduced cost. The surgery was successful and Safia was discharged from hospital a week later. Now, some eight months after surgery, Safia is doing very well, both at home and at school and her teacher even describes her as showing great promise.

When she's at home Safia does her homework, and helps her mother to clean the house, do the washing and dishes with her brothers and sisters. She has eight SOS siblings: six brothers and two sisters. Two more girls will hopefully be moving in with the family soon. Safia seems shy when you first meet her, but she is charming when you get to know her. She likes playing, singing, drawing and reading. Her mother says that if Safia continues to learn and develop so well, she will achieve a lot in her career. She already says she would love to become a lawyer. She is always very well behaved at school. Safia loves playing rede a popular game that girls in Tanzania play, which involves using a small ball made from old clothes. Three people play the game, one in the middle and two on either side. The game is named rede because the player in the centre says rede meaning "I am ready" and the players on each side throw the ball at the player in the middle, who tries to dodge the ball. "Safia is now living a happy life", says her SOS mother, smiling. "There are times when she tries to delay coming home at 6.30 p.m. because she is still playing rede with others". Safia's doctor is also happy with her development; he says that she is doing very well as she regularly attends medical check ups at the hospital.

There is no telling what would have happened to Safia if she had not been admitted to the SOS Children's Village when she was. Most likely she would have grown up to be a very weak and feeble child, which might even have been attributed to witchcraft in the eyes of the some people who have not been taught otherwise. But now Safia is a promising young girl has real hope for the future.

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