Chrildren Saved
Lives Saved: When Childs’ Play Turns Deadly
Children love to play outside using their imaginations. But when your yard is littered with leftover artillery, innocent playtime can suddenly become deadly.
Many parts of Sudan’s Nuba Mountains are riddled with old military ordnance leftover from previous wars and conflicts. Unexploded ordnance – known as UXO – can detonate years or even decades later, becoming more unstable as the years go by. These dangers can be presented by artillery shells, mortars, grenades, and a variety of similar devices.
Heavy rains like those that occur during the annual rainy season may expose buried objects, increasing their risk of detonation.
UXO still poses a grave threat to civilians and children here. In the month of February alone, 21 children were killed in the South Kordofan state of Sudan following inadvertent encounters with abandoned artillery.
Khalid came close to being one of those tragic statistics.
It was a sunny morning when Khalid woke up that day, and like many twelve year-olds, he had chores to do. Today it was his responsibility to look after the cows. He was a good son who typically did what he was told. But also like many young boys, he became distracted along the route to the cow shed.
On the ground something sparkled, and his eyes focused on a shiny object that he thought was a large bullet. He pulled it out from the dirt and freed it from the straw-like grasses that entangled it. Khalid turned the object in his hand as the sun shone on its metallic exterior. He was pleased with his newfound discovery.
Khalid tossed the object around in the air as he approached the cow shed. Then he decided to bounce it off a large rock. That’s when the unexpected happened. The object exploded, causing a blast that pierced the tranquility of the morning, as pieces of metal burst through the air and scattered on the ground.
The commotion brought Khalid’s family running from the house. Still in surprise, he looked down to see that shards from the explosion had sliced the fingers on his right hand. He knew it was bad. For a moment he didn’t feel the pain, but fear gripped him immediately.
Wasting no time, his mother wrapped the hand and rushed him to the nearest health clinic at Reka. But Khalid’s injuries were too extensive to be treated there. The clinicians told him to get to Mother of Mercy Hospital as fast as he could. Time was not on his side. Khalid’s injuries were life threatening.
Mother of Mercy is the only referral hospital for hundreds of miles in each direction in the rural Nuba Mountains. Founded and directed by missionary doctor Tom Catena, who came from New York over 16 years ago, the facility treats more than 150,000 patients every year and serves a population of nearly a million people in the vast surrounding area.
Dr. Tom is renowned as a local hero for his medical care and dedication to helping the people of Nuba. Sudan Relief Fund’s community of generous donors provide the medicine used by Mother of Mercy Hospital – the same which today would help to save a twelve year-old boy.
It was a lengthy operation, but successful. Even though Khalid still had treatment and recovery ahead of him, Khalid’s mother rejoiced that her son was going to survive. Khalid was happy he would be able to use his hand.
After continuing treatment at the hospital for four weeks, Khalid is healing well and almost ready to go home. He realizes how fortunate he was to be near lifesaving medical treatment at Mother of Mercy Hospital.
Khalid didn’t become another tragic statistic. Because help was here when he needed it most.
These stories of lives saved are possible because of our generous community of donors who support Mother of Mercy Hospital and other initiatives for people with no access to health care. Thank you for saving lives like young Khalid’s and many others who are well today because of your support.
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