Lead Writer- Mogbonjubade Adesulure
Abubakar was not born using a walking aid. About two years ago, Abubakar, a young boy with hopes of becoming a doctor, had a leg injury that made him unable to walk. It all started when he had a fever, and he was taken to a chemist in his area. After a week of taking the injection, Abubakar started to experience pain in the area where he was injected.
It was after a week that I started feeling some pain in the position where I was injected. As at then, I don't know that it is not proper to use hot water on the area, which was what I was unknowingly using to press the area. Then the place started swelling up, and to the point I started feeling pain around the knee area too.
Abubakar and his siblings. Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
Abubakar has five siblings; he lives with his mother. His mom, once a tailor sewing children’s sweaters and bed sheets, had to sell her sewing machine during Abubakar’s illness to care for Abubakar and the family. With no substantial livelihood, they couldn’t afford proper medical treatment for Abubakar’s leg. His mother explained:
We didn’t take him to the hospital because we had no money. All the treatments we gave him were at home.”Truthfully, we don’t take him to the hospital about the leg; we only took him to the hospital with respect to the internal disease that I mentioned earlier that he was having, not because of the leg-
Abubakar and his siblings. Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
Abubakar’s mother has been responsible for raising her six children since her husband passed away years ago. The family resorted to using local remedies to treat his leg, which unfortunately worsened his condition. Over time, the leg deteriorated severely, becoming a painful open wound with a distressing appearance and foul odour. This eventually left him unable to work. Abubakar recalls nights when he cried himself to sleep, overwhelmed by the pain.
But before, truly, there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even sleep. At night, my neighbours would hear my movements, and sometimes I would even cry.
After enduring intense leg pain, fearing it might cost him his life, Abubakar’s situation began to change when a member of the Core Group community, someone who had previously lived in the same neighbourhood as Abubakar’s mother, introduced her to a Save the Children volunteer case worker. Core groups under the PLANE window three project are made up of community members who actively engage in collective action to create an enabling environment that promotes and protects the rights of girls and boys, while advocating for safe, quality, and inclusive education.
Through this connection, Abubakar received the support he desperately needed. With support from Save the Children and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), he was taken to a general hospital and provided with the necessary resources for proper medical care for his leg.
Abubakar and his mother. Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
First, when we went to the hospital, as soon as they noticed that my leg was tiny, they started by taking an X-ray. After the X-ray, they saw that my leg had no was tiny. They also ran several tests, even sickle cell and other checks, but they found nothing else wrong. They said it was only the leg that had a problem. So, they started by cleaning the wound and giving me injections. Little by little, I started to feel much better. Eventually, they discharged us from the hospital.
Abubakar was provided with full support for the treatment of his leg, with all medical expenses completely covered. His mother didn’t have to bear any cost. For our food, our drinks, and all the medicines, everything we used came from the support money that was sent. Abubakar’s mom shared.
Now the swelling, intense pain, unpleasant odour, and deterioration from Abubakar’s leg are gone, he was discharged from the hospital with medications and is currently able to walk with the help of a walking aid. Though still on medication, he his taking his medication, and the doctor is optimistic about his recovery.
Truly, I am very grateful. Before, honestly, I couldn’t walk at all. I could only manage to stand up a little, but I couldn’t stand on my own. But now, truly, I can stand by myself and even take a few step- Abubakar
There is real progress. The doctor said he should continue taking the medication, that He will walk again, Inshallah. Truthfully, he has already started showing signs trying to walk. because he could move a little with his stick support now, unlike before that he couldn't move his leg at all... His only wish is to go to school says and become a doctor, because he also wants to help his people - Abubakar’s Mom
Abubakar and his siblings. Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
Abubakar is one of the several children supported through Save the Children’s case management efforts to ensure girls and boys are protected. These Intervention targets girls and boys facing protection risks to have access to responsive, integrated case management services and referral to specialised services.
