I stayed in Uganda because this time round I will not vote for president of my country, Kenya. I will just wait for whoever wins to rule me, and I’ll go ahead with him because all leaders come from God. Everyone is saying that the major opponent of the incumbent is taking Kenyans to “Canaan,” the promised land.
Caren, nurse
“I am a people person, and this naturally draws me towards people. Knowing that I can be a part of the solution for people’s problems gives me great satisfaction and that is one of the hallmarks of being a Human Resources Manager. Working for Beit-Cure Hospital has given me so much satisfaction especially because of the spiritual ministry of the organization. I am a growing Christian and being here daily strengthens me in my walk with God.”
Annalena, Human Resources Manager
“When I learned that my child could have an operation, my heart was filled with joy! Omali was born deformed and because there was no hospital that could help children who have conditions like his in my area, we never took him to hospital. Omali is my last child of three, and he is the only one born deformed. When a missionary saw Omali, I was put in contact to get him treated, and it has been amazing to come to CURE for help. Omali tells me that he feels pain, and I know that coming will make a huge change in my son’s life. Even though we had to cross the Mozambique-Malawi border to come, I know it is not in vain. My son will be healed.”
Mbwana, Omali’s father
“Rose is my wonderful girl who likes smiling. She is indeed a rose to me. My beautiful girl met her fate when the wrapper she was wearing caught fire as she was cooking sweet potatoes with her friend. This caused a burn on her right elbow. I wasn’t around when the incident occurred, but I heard from my friend that Rose had been taken to the hospital. It was very painful for me since I left her well. However, I accepted what happened. I stayed in the hospital with my daughter for some time, and then we were discharged. The wound is completely healed now, but she has a contracture. When I went back to the hospital, they referred me to CURE. I am very glad to be here at CURE, and I am so excited that my daughter is going to theatre. From what the doctors have told me, I believe my daughter’s operation will be successful. May God guide the doctors during the operation in Jesus name.”
Mary, Rose’s mother
“I look forward to help mend broken relationships. The Lord has shown me time and time again that He’s the one who does it, and I find great joy when His will is done. Sometimes, things are not fixed the way we expect it to be, but the Lord’s plan always pans out the way He wants it to. Of course, it doesn’t come without pain, pressure, and stress, but that’s what we are here for… not just for the bubble days and lollipop moments.”
Yo, Human Resource Manager
“I work as a radiologic technologist, and I like the quality of work that we do. It’s like an art to see the difference on how we care for the patients by capturing their X-ray images as we do it right. I get to take pre-surgery and post-surgery images and see dramatic changes on their healing. It amazes me! Most of the patients who are from the villages are happy to finally get their surgeries done, and that itself is a fulfillment that I get at my job.”
Francis, Radiologic Technologist
“I am so excited because when I go back home, I won’t explain anything to anyone. They will see for themselves, and they will know that I serve a living God!”
Laura, mama of Joel
“CURE is good. For spiritual as well as physical. We are at peace here.”
Rose, Michelle’s Guardian
“I have now learned how to take care of Brivian. At first, when we had just been discharged from CURE Hospital, it was difficult taking care of her; but now, I am used to it and it is easy. On top of that, I have noticed an improvement in her health. I am so grateful to God for sustaining my daughter’s life. My only concern today is that she still has weak neck control.”
Gloria, Brivian’s mom
“I believe that when I’m old and senile, photos will be what I use to remember my life.”
Dr. Watson, resident at CURE Kenya
“I haven’t been able to use my left arm much my whole life. This is about as far as I can lift it. I need a shoulder tendon transfer, and my shoulder blade and back are worsening because of this condition. This summer, I will be able to have my procedure and I look forward to being able to write with my left hand. Playing soccer is a sport I am excited to do one day as well.”
Dagmawi, CUREkid
“I love Jesus because He saved us from our sins. He healed ten lepers, and He fed 5,000 people.”
John, 9
“Valence has faced stigma at school from her classmates, and also [from] teachers who are unable to understand her condition. Regardless of all this, the grace of God has always been sufficient.”
Blantine, Mama of Valence
“We traveled safely from South Sudan, and this time we didn’t encounter any ambushes by rebels on the road, so I thank God that that we are at this clinic.”
Aclan, mother to Agel
“All in all, I’m now very happy that I’m here at CURE. It is a very good hospital with nice and kind doctors and nurses. I really like it so much and I believe my grandson will be healed.”
Gospel’s grandmother, Aleta, with Nurse Mphangera
“Instead of being ashamed like most parents who hide their disabled children, I am proud to carry him and show him to others because I love my son. It is painful as a mother to watch your child grow into adolescence suffering from any sickness or disability, but I believe I have grown closer to God through this challenge.”
Mama Dennis, CURE Kenya
“The nurses here are good nurses, who show love and care to their patients. They really have the passion to assist us. I can just say they were called by God.”
Everista’s mom, Elita, with Nurse Mukonde
“When I met with my team, I gave everyone an assignment that everyone needed to give a CURE value card to everyone else. For some reason, I got five Childlike cards. I don’t know why. I didn’t get any of the other ones.
“I like to have fun with what I do. ‘A master in the art of life knows no difference between work and play.’ It’s a Chinese proverb. I think of having a passion for life and a dependence on God. Kids don’t stress out about things, and they are eager to learn. The older we get, the more stuck in our ways we get. I try to fight against that and ask my team to challenge me on things.”
Cory, SVP Operations
“Kilumba wa Kalenga is a name from Congo that my husband gave my son. I don’t really know what it means, but all I know is that Kilumba has always made me joyful since the day he was born. That’s why I want you to take as many pictures of us so I can remember how great being at Beit CURE was.”
mother of Kilumba wa Kalenga
“Driving for CURE—in fact I like it, and it is the place I feel comfortable. I’m liked by people. It is the place I have found good; I have stayed many years. I say it is a home for the old, it’s a way of the youth they come and go, but for me I’m at home.”
Yokolam, Driver
“Moher fell out of a Manzanita tree on December 29 and broke his arm. At first, I took him in for traditional massage, but all they could do was treat it with herbs. I knew there was more to his injury, so I took him to the local hospital. They wanted a lot of money to treat it, more than we had, and we didn’t know where to turn next. But then, I heard about CURE through my work as a barangay (neighborhood) health worker, and we came to clinic, where Dr. Reyes told us there was help available. I’m very happy and amazed with how we’ve been catered to [by CURE]. I want to help promote CURE through my work, because of everything you’re doing to help my son.”
Rosana, mother of Moher
“And now, I have more than joy, I have a reason to thank God for CURE and what CURE is doing not only to my daughter, but also to my family. CURE has really brought joy, peace and a lot of smiles! When I want to talk about CURE, being honestly, I would tell people how CURE has provided to us everything needed in the hospital and I was amazed. From the kitchen, bathroom, beddings and everything, we were given freely! My child will go home happy and go back to school.”
Sofilina, mother of Sara
“Caring for others awakens my heart every morning. Doing the absolute best with the
other nurses to see these kids get better as God exercises healing. I believe that that is my
calling.”
Jackson, Nurse
“I wanted to be a Orthopedic Surgeon because working with kids is the most rewarding and satisfying part of being a doctor. When we’re in the OR we have the opportunity to make what was once bent, straight. These kids just want to get back to playing with their friends and having the ability to restore that function is a blessing!”
Rick, Orthopedic Surgeon
“I love all my subjects at school, I am in primary four at ABC primary school.”
Esther, CUREkid
“Before, I worked at another hospital, and I was knocked because of my faith. Here it is a different environment, CURE really values people and they appreciate the work that’s done. We start each day with devotions, which encourages the workers. It inspires me to serve as Jesus did, serving others, and not myself.”
Anthony, Operating Room Nurse
“When there is a disabled person in your family, they keep the family in poverty. Everyone is working, but that child is not. Any extra money the family makes must go to supporting that child. It is a weight on the family. A person who has a handicap is like a dead person. They can’t do anything in their life. They will stay poor.
“After Djamila receives this healing, she will no longer be the image of death, she will have been given new life.”
Sumon, uncle of Djamila
“I feel so much pain and I dropped out of school. One day I was walking back home from watching football near my village and a snake bit my foot. I run to my parents and I was taken to a herbalist who helped me. My big right toe is so sore and almost gone, I cannot put on shoes and I have been so sad. I wish had my toe treated. I missed my national exams to graduate from grade 8 because I am in so much pain. My parents could not take me to a good hospital because we do not have enough money to pay. So, coming to CURE is a miracle to me and my family! I am so happy to come here for help and am going to write my exams, play again, and be happy with my friends.”
Kondwani, CUREkid
“When the patients leave the operation room they are on medication and need good food to keep them going. I enjoy cooking a lot and I love my job because with the good food, we contribute to the patient’s wellness.”
Eunice Nzisa Michael, Kitchen Co-Worker
“I am very happy!
“I heard about CURE Ethiopia through my niece who was online searching for work. When CURE Ethiopia was moving from an office space to the hospital, I helped them move. I’ve been here since the opening of the hospital. When I witnessed CURE helping kids, I knew I’d be here for a long time. It’s been 8 years now. I’m happy with my work. Being happy with my work allowed me to get married and have my first child with my second on the way. Coming from a family of 23 other children, from 3 of my father’s wives, I wanted to be completely secure when I chose to settle down. My happiness and fulfillment from working at CURE Ethiopia since it’s opened is easy to see in all aspects of my life, that’s what I mean when I say I’m very happy!”
Getenet, Carpenter
“I have been rejected by other hospitals to get help for my child, but God has not left me alone, He has opened a wide and beautiful door through CURE to help my child. I thank all who have taken from your resources to give towards my child.”
Joyce, mother of M’bala
“I love my job because when the patients come to the hospital and it’s clean and well maintained, they know that inside, all will be well.”
Francis, maintenance department
“What motivates me to work is the feeling of satisfaction that comes when you sit down with a mother and she tells you how well the child is doing. That sense of hope and achievement is my drive.”
Ian, Physiotherapist
“After my surgery at CURE, most schools rejected me because I have spina bifida. Yet, I wanted to study. Most schools said that I was an inconvenience to other children because I was incontinent, but my mom found a school that would accommodate me, and I am no longer incontinent. When at school, other children stare at me so much because of the way I walk, but I stand firm. My performance at class is good. People keep wondering how I can pass my classes in my condition, so they get close to me, and I now have friends. I am now a prefect at school. I have seen what God can do, because I recently joined music and I was awarded as the best musician of the year in my district. I am a testimony.”
Beautiful, CUREkid
“The thing that inspires me to work is the CCTV camera! Also, we are valued as people at CURE, not just expendable workers. In over 8 years of nursing, this is the first time I’ve felt like work is not ‘work’. I wake up and don’t feel heavy. I like being a part of the ministry, it pushes me to give more back.”
Visily, Operating Room Nurse
“Some people said my child was born with stuck fingers because when I was pregnant I was eating a lot of duck feet, and my child’s fingers are like that of a duck. Above all these things, I realize that I don’t need to fight with people but my focus should be on God, who gave me the gift of the child.”
Pilirani, mother of Allan
“That is a day I won’t forget soon. It was in the evening, I had decided to do some laundry before the day was over so I placed Dennis on a seat nearby as I did the laundry not so far away. He was only four months old then. After a while I heard some commotion. Going to check, I found my son inside a sauce pan with boiling water. We rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted for eight months. Now I see him and thank God for how far he has brought us.”
Mary, mother of Dennis
“She is always asking me when she sees white people, ‘Mom, if I wash my body many times, I will look like that?’ She just loves those people.”
Caroline’s mother
“There is very little I can do in a medical ministry. What I’m given to do is to listen and pray. And remain there. My job is to listen to what is said and not said and take that to God. That means there are times when God may speak in all the ways He does, and not to feel like I have to do something about it. It is enough to listen and pray. It’s a calling. The temptation could be to feel like you need to contribute, but that takes you away from what the gift of prayer is.
I’ve been here for five months and what I’ve done before is preparatory for being willing and ready to just pray. I look back and see that it was productive, but it didn’t feel like it at the time.
Prayer isn’t quantifiable. You wouldn’t say to your child, ‘You speak to me much better than your sister.’ You want to know the heart of all your children in however they can communicate with you, and the sorrow when they don’t.
Herman Hesse said, ‘We sing our suffering and our thanks like little children sing.’ That has become my compass.
In order to know the fulness of God, you have to go down in the depths. No one wants to go down there, but if you don’t, you won’t have life. It takes a lot of courage to go down there, but it takes a lot of courage to come up as well.”
Cathy, Anchoress, 2 of 2
“There has been a lot of change since I began. Bearing witness to a community in change has been important. I think of all times I would want to be here it would be now. I’m so grateful to be here. There are so many brilliant people working for CURE. Brilliant, committed. It’s an amazing thing to witness. It’s a beautiful learning environment. The best part of the job is the gatherings of employees. The staff meetings, devotions, learning how people do devotions as a group. I love it when the staff is gathered.”
Cathy, Anchoress, 1 of 2
“He just moves like a snake, and it’s not good. God made people to walk with two legs, not to lay like a snake. So, we have come.”
Safia, Fidel’s Grandmother
“My daughter’s healing is a miracle! This hospital is allowed by God to run in order to better these cases. Miracles are not only found in churches; they are found in hospitals, too. God has shown himself through Beit CURE in a country which is not ours.”
Pastor Gumbo, parent of a patient from Zimbabwe
“At first I admired the dress code of the nurses; later, after I got to know about nursing, I just felt good that I was the one to be with the patient the most time. In the whole medical team I would be the one who would have the greatest time with the patient, so in that I would interact a lot with the patient and know a lot about the patient, and that is pleasure to me.”
Miria, Nurse
“The road of nursing is not smooth sailing. There are bumps and detours, and sometimes I have wanted to quit. Sometimes people treat nurses like a slave or maid, and if something goes wrong, the nurse is blamed. At CURE, that culture is lessened; everything is checked and investigated. I like CURE’s environment that allows you to learn, grow, and express your faith; there is grace. That’s what’s unique here.”
Ralp, Operating Room Nurse
“Here are some of the things that I like… I like bubbles. I like Fluffy (her stuffed Zebra). And I like swimming!”
Zoe, CUREkid
“I find it very hard to walk to school and my feet mostly hurt when I am walking to school. My parents told me to come here after being told by local doctors. I love CURE in so many ways. I like how we spend time together for prayers and dining as one big family. I believe when I go home, my feet will be flat and normal.”
Chosadziwa, CUREkid
“If there’s one thing that makes you lose sleep, it’s love.”
Nelson, CUREkids Coordinator
“I want to be an orthopedic surgeon so I can help my fellow friends to be walking. Walking is a fun life, ya know?”
Nelly, 14, CUREkid
“I have spina bifida and hydrocephalus. When I first went to high school, I struggled a lot. I was put in a class for people with special needs. I worked hard and got good grades. This made people realize that my disability is physical but not intellectual. I am now in my final year of high school, and I want to go to school and study medicine.”
Dabwiso, CUREkid
“Joy is now healed, so I reopened my restaurant. I lost some customers, but I know that when they hear that I am back in business, they will return, too. Also, for now business is low in this area because it is a season of mangoes. People are eating more mangoes than cooked food, but I know this business, I will make money.”
Christine, mother of Joy
“The most rewarding thing for me is seeing a patient for the first time, and then seeing them again when they are fully able. They’re happy because they’re walking on straight legs. Even though I’m not the one that makes it happen, seeing what CURE does really inspires me.”
Phill, X-ray Technician
“The best part with working with spina bifida kids… first of all, what I can say? It is taxing getting a mother, the mother is all ready depressed, has never seen such a condition before, there she comes with the baby with little hopes, so talking to them and gaining their trust is really something you can be proud of, because at the beginning they have no hope these children are going to live. After you have explained to them, they come to know these children are able to live. Get them drawing closer to you for more information, for interaction, for those challenges they don’t understand, and in most cases I feel proud when they call me.”
Hellen, Nurse
“I want to wear Frozen sandals, preferably the ones with high heels.”
Precious, CUREkid
“This place has made me feel good because I have heard and seen some very complex deformities and seen progress, and I know that my child will surely have such a testimony.”
Agnes, mother of Clever
“I might be married in 13 or 14 years. First I have to finish class 8, then high school, then
university, and then to be a doctor. I have a journey still. But it’s better than being old
already.”
Nelly, CUREkid
“I sing a lot. I have two albums now, and I sing about experiences that I have gone through. There is this song on my album which talks about how I was once very sick and people gave up on me. I could tell that people had totally lost hope in my recovery whenever they came to visit me in the hospital. But God saved me, and I am still here. I recovered and made sure that I put that experience on my album to tell this story to people. It is a really great song.”
Chilekwa, Driver
“Hahahaha. Make sure you get a good pic! Just me doing my job and smiling about it.”
Musa, Nurse
“I’ve always told people that nursing is a profession, that God chooses you to be a nurse. It’s not just a matter of a decision to be a nurse. It’s not easy; some people have run away who can’t manage this job. It’s not easy turning something bad to something good. As an experienced nurse who has been in the field for 42 years, I have been very proud of my profession. When I see the sick improving, the people with no hope having lots of hope, when they come to me and say, thank you for what you have done for my child, thank you for your good hands, I really feel very proud about it.”
Emma, Nurse
“I always tell my friends, ‘If you are really doing your passion as your profession, you will never regret it!’ I love cooking for people. One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is to see native people, often poor people, eat food that they’ve never been able to eat before, and to see how much they enjoy it.”
Jelyn, Assistant Cook
“I’m happy here at CURE. And what really stands out about this place is that the people that I work with are non-discriminating. Workers not only treat the patients well but also treat the employees well. I wake up in the morning feeling excited to go to work and really blessed to be a part of it.”
Marissa, housekeeping
“I know some people in Zimbabwe who have got children like this [clubfoot] who are going to ask me where was that done, and I’m going to say to them, Malawi… they managed to correct her foot.”
Rose, mother of Brenda
“We all have an element of madness in our minds. What matters is the percentage we have.”
Dr. Mbugua, Orthopedic Surgeon
“My leg started swelling when I was very small, a long time ago. I can still walk and run
but only run very small distances. I don’t know what you people will do to my leg, but the
doctors have explained it to my grandmother. She knows.”
Dancan, age 9, CUREkid
“I am not young anymore. I am commander of the Outpatient Department. I have to be firm but make sure things get done. I control traffic going in and out of the doctor’s office and make sure there is order! You have no idea how many people I meet in a week, but I am not complaining. Someone has to do it, right?”
Lusaka, outpatient department nurse
“I have been a nurse for forty years, girl! Forty! I have so much experience. I have always been a theatre nurse—nothing else. I love my patients, the job, and the drama of running up and down in the operating room. Do I feel old? Of course not! I have the energy of a 12-year-old, and I do not see myself stopping anytime soon!”
Esther, operating theatre nurse
“Working in PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) just gives me a great sense of responsibility for the patient. It’s not something to play about with; the child’s hands are under your hands. Every minute, every second you have to watch over the baby, and the good thing at CURE we have the Spacelabs (monitors) which help us monitor our babies. With the help of the alarms you are able to tell there is a change in condition. To be honest, when I was still on orientation I would fear working in PACU. What if the baby doesn’t keep well? It was hard, but with help and experience, I think it’s an honor.”
Janet, PACU nurse
“Families come to CURE feeling hopeless. They are in darkness. Many times they have been treated badly at other hospitals because they have no money. They come through the doors, and suddenly there is hope. Many times they are in tears, not because of sadness, but because they realize that now they can experience physical and spiritual healing.”
Madel, Spiritual Director
“I’ve worked at so many places before, but there’s something different about Tebow CURE that I like. I can talk on and on, which usually irritated my co-workers in the past and I end up getting yelled at. But the Tebow CURE staff receives me for who I am. There’s not a sense of hierarchy at the workplace. I can even talk to the boss without feeling awkward. I feel like I really belong.”
Lyra, housekeeping
“All my nine children are amazing in so many ways. I love them and I really pray that I one day see how God uses them. One of them is my little boy Lonjezo, the seventh born. Being the only child with a deformity, it makes me feel pain and I want to see a change.”
Felix, father of Lonjezo
“I’m the first person patients speak with when they arrive at CURE and the first person to see their deformity. When I see the patients leave the hospital healed, I am overwhelmed with joy! Seeing the stories of these children come full circle is the best seat to me. It gives me joy to tell children with deformities that I see throughout the city to come see us at CURE! I’m truly happy to work here.”
Zemen, Information Desk
“Just sit down with a kid and do some coloring; that has a huge impact on a kid’s life and most people don’t know it. Just spend time with kids and show them who you are; pour out your heart that God gave you for them.”
Thandy, CUREkids Coordinator, 2 of 2
“I want to do medical school because I want to live my name. My name, Thandizo, means ‘help,’ so that’s what I want to be. I think that’s what God is calling me to, not just medically but in a lot of ways.”
Thandy, CUREkids Coordinator, 1 of 2
“One day I will have a music band and we will sing like never before. I don’t have to sing for money, I just have to sing for my God.”
Sam, Surgical Technician
“I want to wear Frozen sandals, preferably the ones with high heels.”
Precious, CUREkid
“Every morning I wake up and I know there is a child out there who needs me. If I don’t avail myself, he might not have a chance; he might not have a future. That drives me. That makes me wake up every morning. That makes me thank God for every single morning that I’m able to be useful to Him, to heal lives, to bring families together, to provide hope.”
Dr. Ssenyonga, Medical Director
“My father played a very important role in my life. Like most kids, the father is the superman who provides for you, protects you, who does everything, and is normally is looked up to. These kids look at me as a father who enabled them to walk. Even if I don’t mention Christ, I want them to see Christ through what I do.”
Dr. Maina, Orthopedic Surgeon
“My husband had cancer, and with him being a medical student, we so often just looked at the medical side of things rather than the patient or the family of the patient. It really opened my eyes to the emotional pain that the patient and the family has. That helped me serve better at CURE; when I walk past a family who has a child in theater, I know that their heart is pounding and that the only one who can give them peace is God. So I always try to reach out and say something to them, pray with them, encourage them. Being here was really my first time since his two surgeries to be on the other end and to reach out to other families.”
Becky, medical student and short-term volunteer
“For a few years after I graduated from Messiah College, I worked for an engineering firm that helped design hospitals, schools, and offices, but I always felt disconnected from the actual people who these buildings were aiding. Working with CURE, I get to merge my engineering skills and my passion for serving others. Every day, I get to witness the impact the hospital has on the community. The same children who were carried into the hospital broken and needing healing now walk out of the gates of the hospital and to their homes.”
Andrew, Construction Project Manager
“After watching the CURE videos and learning about the intense needs in other countries, my daughter decided she wanted to be either and missionary or a teacher. When I told her she could do both, she was excited. She has a kind heart and is extremely sensitive to the needs of others, so CURE has helped to give her a focus and, at times, a reminder that there is a world outside of her own.”
Christina, mother of Kimber
“It was CURE that helped my son find healing. The difference is so, so big. Before he was stuck, but now, he is free.”
Soueda, Amine’s mom, 4/4
“I was in the hospital with Aminou when my husband died. He had a problem with his stomach. Moutari took new pictures of Aminou after his surgery and brought them to Maradi, where we live, when my husband was sick. When he saw them, he said, ‘Oh, this child has changed!’ I’m so happy that he had the chance to see Aminou changed before he died.”
Soueda, Amine’s mom, 3/4
“I had a friend in Maradi, 700 kilometers away from Niamey. I went to attend a wedding and that is where I met Aminou and his mother. When I saw them, I said, ‘What happened to that child?’ My friend, who is a doctor there, said, ‘Is it possible to treat him at CURE Hospital?’ I said, ‘Yes, we can treat him at the hospital.’ So I took his photo, brought it back to the hospital, and showed our team. They said, ‘Tell him to come! Tell him to come!’ So that is how he came here to the hospital.”
Moutari, CURE Clubfoot Program Manager, 2/4
“I was selling donuts. I put the oil on the heat, and it started to boil. It was the morning, and when Aminou woke up, I asked him to get up and wash his face. When he got up, he fell into the oil. We took him to the health center in our village, but when we got there, the nurses told us to go to the big health center in the city. My husband borrowed money so Aminou could be treated, but the treatment didn’t work. After that we went to another health center, and we went back four times, but he didn’t get better. It was so hard for us, and so sad for us, because he didn’t receive healing. We have ten other children. We didn’t have any money.”
Soueda, Amine’s mother, 1/4
“My favorite thing about being a father is seeing my kids growing in good health. I pray to God to support me in getting the means to help them grow. For me, the most important characteristic of a father is that capacity to help them be obedient and grow. Any child that is not obedient will not succeed.”
Seydou, father of Abdul
“It doesn’t matter to me what my son becomes, I just want him to become an important person. He has the skills because he is very courageous. He is a hard worker. A father should be really caring about what his son should become. At any time a father should be attentive to that aspect.”
Ibrahim, father of Yacoubou
“On the bus, many people condemned the ticket agent for letting us on. They said, ‘Why did they even sell the ticket and let them on the bus?’ Even this morning, at the bus station, when we sat on the bench people stood up and left. People have rejected us and said bad words about us. They don’t have compassion. But the staff here… I just want to thank them. They accept us and don’t demonstrate any kind of bad words or any negative attitudes. I just want to thank them.”
Salamou, father of Dela
“I want her to study hard. I want her to become a doctor, to take care of other people as they’ve taken care of her. She’s a girl who understands me very much. Anything I tell her not to do, she will never do. She loves me. I love her. She’s my favorite child. Everyone has a favorite child. Don’t you?”
Adamou, father of Nana
“I wanted to use my talents to do something to highlight CURE. It took a month to complete it because I had to wait for it to grow. Now I maintain it every two weeks. When people saw it, they said, ‘Oh! It is good that you did this!’ I’m really pleased every time I come in and see it. Now I want to be even more creative for CURE.”
Moussa, Gardener
“It is my mother’s green pepper hot sauce recipe. Everyone here really likes it. It helps open up your appetite. You can’t eat it if you have stomach problems. It’s too hot!”
Mariama, Kitchen Staff
“I got this grinder from a woman I used to work for. It was her Canadian grandmother’s. It is over 100 years old. I have used it every day of the five years I have worked for CURE Niger. We use it to make our green hot sauce and also tomato sauce.”
Diallo, Cook
“When I went back home, many people came to see me and my lip. They said, ‘It’s beautiful!’ I changed. I was happy because my lip was healed. Now I want to learn. I want to go to school.”
Sharifa, CUREkid, 3/3
“A few years later, we heard about CURE on the radio. We were really happy to hear this news, that there was a possibility for Sharifa to have treatment, but we were afraid to come to the big city. When we got here, I was not afraid anymore. We were warmly welcomed and treated with respect. We are so grateful.”
Hadiza, Sharifa’s grandmother, 2/3