Support for Teenage Girl with Rickets

News from AWEC members, Kabul, Afghanistan

Name: Gulpekai
Father Name: Muneer Ahmad (passed away)
Age: 15 years
Address: Zohorabad
Family members: 4
Mother: mentally sick

Gulpekai has problem in both knees. The family of the girl has lived in the camps of Peshawar during migration for 12 years. The houses in which, the family lived were usually old and damp, due to bad economy. It has been 4 years that the family has returned back to Kabul and lives in Zohorabad, in a rented house, of 1000afs per month. Gulpekai’s father has passed away. She has one brother who is the bread winner of the family and caretaker of the family. Due to this reason, brother couldn’t get education and works in the fruits market as street vendor and thus earns money for the family.

It has been a year that Gulpekai got problem in her knees and both of her knees bones are bending, which a disease is called rickets. She is not able to walk properly and has problem in sitting and standing as well. This is really disappointing her. Her mother took her to doctors in Kabul, but all the doctors, told her, that the problem is curable, but expensive, which the family can’t afford at all.

After Gulpekai joined the center, the teachers got to know about her problem and thus introduced her to the center’s doctor. The doctor suggested that she should be introduced to the concerned hospital and doctors for her better treatment.

The center’s doctor introduced her to German hospital in Kabul. The doctors after check up told that Gulpekai’s problem was curable, but was bit expensive. Since Gulpekai’s family couldn’t afford that, thus AWEC, gave 6000afs for her treatment. The girl was then introduced to the doctors in Sehat-e-Tefal hospital in Kabul. The doctor after clinical check up got her x-rays and gave her medicine accordingly for one month and suggested that after one month, she should be brought back to hospital for operation. The doctor also told the social workers and the counselor that a group of German doctors are coming to hospital to check the patients, and then Gulpekai introduced to them, so that they also check her, and saw what they suggest; Gulpekai went to hospital with the project manager to be checked by the German doctors. The doctors checked her and suggested that her right leg to be operated in Kabul and after three months when the German doctors will come back to Kabul, would observe the results of the operation. If the result was positive, so her left leg will also be operated in Kabul, but if not, her left leg would get operated in Germany.