I must confess that I have a weakness for pleasant, lively, smiling children.  Every time I see a child smile it melts my heart.  Over the past couple of days, I spent time with two of the cutest little boys to come through CURE Zambia since I started working at the organization.  Their names are Cosmas and Samson, and this is their story.

Cosmas and Samson, 8 and 7 years old respectively, two friends from Chipata in Zambia’s Eastern province, came to CURE Zambia last week to have their clubbed feet repaired.  Coincidentally, both boys both have right clubbed feet.  They aren’t related, but you’d never guess that by watching them interact.  “They’re like brothers,” said their caretaker, Doris.  “They’re very, very close.”  Both boys grew up in extreme poverty in Chipalamba village, near Chipata.  Both their mothers were very, very poor and completely incapable of taking care of the boys.

Two nuns, who worked with the Catholic orphanage and rehabilitation centre, Cheshire Homes, were traveling through the Eastern Province and came across the two boys playing in the village.  Neither Cosmas nor Samson was attending school.  Seeing that they both had clubbed feet and after speaking to their mothers, the nuns took the little boys with them to Lusaka.  Shortly after arriving in Lusaka, the boys were enrolled into grade one.

Earlier this week, both boys had surgery on their clubbed right feet.  CURE Zambia’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Cyril Moyo, performed the surgery.  When I went to visit the young boys in the children’s ward, I could tell immediately that despite their closeness, they had very distinct personalities.  Cosmas is a lively, bright, and gregarious little boy who loves to laugh.  “I want to be a driver when I grow up,” Cosmas said in a fit of giggles.  Both of his front teeth are missing, so he speaks with an adorable lisp.  “I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” said Samson, groggily.  Samson had just gotten up after having a second surgically procedure done on his right foot.  Samson is the shy one of the two.

My hope is that both Cosmas and Samson grow up healthy with the ability to see their dreams come true, and most of all, that they remain the best of friends.