The air was warm and thick in the room where three-year-old Paul Bernard and his older cousin were sleeping. It was a night like any other. But in his sleep, his cousin accidentally knocked over a nearby kerosene lamp, lighting their mattress on fire and engulfing the bed … Read More
Despite his work ethic, intelligence, and passion for education, 19-year-old Bernard faced a future where he would not be merited by his hard-earned qualifications nor his determination to succeed. Instead, he would be judged by the genetic neurofibromatosis that had disfigured his face for over a decade. When … Read More
Tresor is a ten-year-old boy with an explosive laugh. He’s a cheeky prankster with a competitive spirit, and he’s completely unafraid to speak his mind. He’s the kind of child you’d call unstoppable. But Tresor’s childhood took an unexpected turn when he was just three years old — … Read More
‘What happened to me, Mummy’ Pierre would ask, ‘When are you going to fix my legs?’ Unsure how to answer her four-year-old son, Edwige made a promise that she would do everything she could to find healing for Pierre’s twisted legs. When she first noticed Pierre’s legs were … Read More
When an orthopaedic surgeon experienced in extreme conditions says he’s shocked by a patient’s condition, you know the surgery’s going to be a challenge. ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ someone asked 12-year-old Ulrich. ‘I want to be tall like my friends,’ he answered with … Read More
Sitting in a makeshift classroom in the back of her house, nine-year-old Monique waited in darkness, listening intently to the sound of her grandmother’s voice going over the day’s lesson. She was homeschooled for the past three years due to severe cataracts and had to withdraw from school … Read More
High up Mt Manengouba in Cameroon, through rocky terrain and lush foliage, lies the beautiful village of Bororos. The journey to Bororos consists of a steep, uphill horse ride surrounded by craggy rocks with only wildlife for company. But two little girls, sisters Salamatou and Mariama, had never … Read More
Victoria never lost hope. Not after her parents died when she was a girl, not after she was forced to start begging in the streets, and not even when she began developing a massive facial tumour when she was only 18 years old. Now, the resilient 23-year-old sat … Read More
Adorned with beads and colourful fabrics, Fadimatou enjoyed dressing up and ‘acting pretty’ like other girls. But, any glimpse of her smile was quickly wiped away by memories of teasing and ridicule—a reminder of the lies she’d been told too many times, that she isn’t pretty and shouldn’t smile. … Read More
No one is prouder of this ray of sunshine than her father, Emmanuel. Cecilia brims with delightful energy, and Emmanuel is always one step behind her, ready to help her in the right direction. But, until recently, Cecilia needed more help than most little girls. “She smiles all of … Read More
