The story of Léger

His sister Marie–Alice was 12 at the time: “After lessons I used to stay and look after my little brother while my mother went home to prepare dinner”. Léger had to have a family member with him at all times so that he could be given basic treatment. During the eight months he was in hospital, Marie-Alice’s stepfather looked after the other children at home.

Afterwards Marie–Alice continued going to the specialist unit. She watched the nurses and care teams who worked so patiently with the sick children. “I looked at Mirlande playing with them and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a nurse”. But at the age of 16 she became pregnant and then her mother died. She had to look after her own child and her two little brothers.

Thanks to Tdh, Marie-Alice was in fact able to take French lessons at the Alliance Française. At the age of 21 she got a position with the Tdh team, working with malnourished children in their homes. She also registered with the auxiliary nursing college for an 18 month training course.

Léger is now 20 and from his frame you would never suspect that he had suffered from malnutrition when he was a young child.