Hesbon Ndirangu

Meet Hesbon! Hesbon is 8 years old and is in the 2nd grade. His school is a 30-minute walk from his home. Kiswahili, the local language, is his favorite subject. Hesbon has frequent bleeds that have caused him to miss a week of school every month. As a result, he is making poor academic progress in school. Hesbon dreams of being a teacher when he grows up. When he is not at school, Hesbon loves to play with his mates. Hesbon has been diagnosed with severe hemophilia A. He experiences frequent bleeds in his knees, ankles, elbows and mouth. He can receive factor at the hemophilia treatment center for severe bleeds. His local hemophilia center is 2-hours from his home. His family needs to take a public bus to get there, which costs $5 per trip and is very expensive for his poor family. The distance and expense prevent Hesbon from receiving medical care as often as he should and poses a significant risk in the case of a bleeding emergency. Most of his bleeds are cared for by putting a cool wet cloth on the swollen area. Hesbon lives in the village of Nyeri, Kenya with his mother, grandmother, uncle and younger sister. Hesbons father is not involved in his life and does not provide support to the family. His mother, Gladys (age 32), and uncle, Charles (age 29), work as daily laborers. His grandmother, Beatrice (age 52), does some small-scale farming. Their combined monthly income is approximately $70. Hesbons younger sister, Precious (age 4) goes to school. They speak their native language Kiswahili and mother tongue Kikuyu in the home. Hesbon and members of his family are also able to read and write some in English. Sadly, Hesbons grandfather died at the young age of 40 due to an injury he incurred at work. He bled internally and died before he was able to get to the hospital. At the time, the family did not know about hemophilia. After Hesbon was diagnosed, the family and doctors strongly suspect that his grandfather unknowingly had hemophilia as well and that this led to his death. The family lives in a four-room house that is constructed of wood. Their home lacks all basic amenities. It does NOT even have electricity. They have no indoor plumbing, indoor toilet facilities or kitchen. They need to get water from outside. They family cooks their meals outside over a charcoal fire. Your sponsorship funds will help to pay for Hesbons education and transportation to the treatment center.