Perpétue Zongo, 10 years old, on her way to school in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. | © N. Lawson / HI
Perpétue Zongo, 10 years old, on her way to school in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. | © N. Lawson / HI
Perpétue Zongo is a 10-year-old girl in year 5 at school. She lives with her paternal grandfather, mother, father and younger sister in a district of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Following an accident, HI helped her to obtain a prosthetic leg that allows her to run and play again.
In 2021, a sad event turned Perpétue's life upside down. She was playing in front of her house with local friends when a tricycle hurtled up the road at high speed in the direction of a small child. Perpétue saw that the little girl was in danger and rushed to her rescue. Her act of bravery saved the little girl’s life, but Perpétue was hit by the tricycle instead.
When she arrived at the hospital, doctors determined she was so severely injured that her leg had to be amputated. It was a very difficult moment for her parents, but Perpétue has never let it get her down.
"Perpétue is a very brave girl," says her mother. "She's the one who comforts us and she has given us the strength to go on since the accident."
As soon as she felt better, Perpétue wanted to go back to school. She had always made good grades and loved going to class. She returned to school just two weeks after her operation, with the surgical stitches needed to heal the amputation still in place. And despite the accident and its traumatic consequences, Perpétue finished in the top three in her class that year.
To be more independent, Perpétue needed an artificial limb, but her parents couldn’t afford one. The young girl didn't give up and began learning how to live without her leg. Her family supported her and helped her a lot, especially on the hard days. She needed help with certain daily tasks that she was used to doing on her own.
"I had crutches, but I couldn't walk with them for long because they hurt. Dad took me to school and Mom showered me. I used to be able to do all those things myself," she recalls.
A few months after her accident, Perpétue was identified by HI through a fortunate coincidence. She was standing on her doorstep when a member of HI's team passed by. Touched by this little girl, he contacted her parents. With HI's financial support, Perpétue quickly obtained a artificial leg and began attending rehabilitation sessions, building the strength to walk again.
"The prosthetic limb is helping me to have a better life; it looks just like my other leg. Despite being teased by some of my classmates, I'm happy to be able to walk like I used to and play with my friends again," Perpétue says.
Soon, Perpétue will need a new artificial leg because, after two years, she is outgrowing the one she has now. HI's teams will continue to provide follow-up care and cover her expenses.
In September 2022, Perpétue changed schools. Her old classmates had been made aware of her disability, but the new ones hadn't, and they are teasing her and making fun of her. This has affected her concentration and her grades are slipping. But Perpétue is determined not to give up and to continue working hard at school because she wants to be a nurse when she grows up so that she can help others. To help her fulfill her dreams, HI is planning to run disability awareness campaigns in her new school, so that the other children understand and accept her disability.
