Following Crocodile Attack, Meals Help Heal

When he was six years old, Moses was sent to live with his aunt in Malawi’s rural Kalavina Village following the deaths of both of his parents. Now, at 16, he is enrolled in the 5th grade at Dande Primary School. He fell behind in school after a life-changing encounter on the banks of the Shire River. Two years later, he can still vividly recall the events of the day.

It seemed to happen all at once. They didn’t notice it at first, but in a sudden flurry Moses’s friends, who were bathing in the river, began shouting to each other to evacuate the waters once they spotted the quickly approaching crocodile. Unfortunately for Moses, the alarm did not sound soon enough. The crocodile latched onto him from behind and drew him into deep waters of the Shire.

Noticing the commotion, a nearby fisherman in a dugout canoe swiftly glided to the scene and began crashing his oar down across the crocodile’s back until the beast finally released Moses from the grip of his vice-like jaws.

The fisherman immediately ushered the critically injured boy to shore and rushed him to the hospital. Once admitted, Moses would remain there for the next six months undergoing multiple surgeries and recovering from his wounds. He lost a considerable amount of major muscle tissue as well as his lower bowel. The attack left Moses severely disabled, requiring crutches for mobility, and he will now be dependent on a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.

Throughout this traumatic period, Moses has continued to receive support from Iris Africa through their Children of Hope Program — a special initiative geared towards the holistic caring of orphans in Malawi. One of the central tenets of the program is ensuring the children have a steady source of food that meets the nutritional requirements for proper development. Through Stop Hunger Now fortified rice-soy meals, Moses is provided with the essential nutrients his body needs as he continues to heal both physically and emotionally.

Moses recently underwent further surgery to reconnect his hips, and is spending his post-op recovery at the Iris Africa ministry base in Bangula due to the extreme difficulty of maintaining necessary sanitary conditions, comfort and constant medical care in his Aunt’s remote village home. He must not bear weight on his legs for another five weeks. While under their roof, Iris Africa is able to monitor his condition, oversee his physical therapy and bolster his spirit on his long road to recovery.

Asked what he would like to do when he is older, Moses replied that he is interested in becoming a doctor. Through his tireless determination, and with the support of Irish Africa and the nutrition from Stop Hunger Now meals, his caretakers assure that he’ll undoubtedly be able to achieve his dream of paying forward the love, care and medical assistance he himself has benefited from during these trying, but strengthening times.