Picture of Carine in SOS Burundi
‘What a difference SOS Children’s Villages can make!’
Carine arrived at SOS Children’s Village Cibitoke in Burundi on September 13, 2009 at the age of two. An orphan, she was admitted to one of the homes in the Village. She was physically handicapped, without the full use of her legs, which prevented her from playing with other children.
During her first days at the Village, Carine was very shy, withdrawn and unhappy. She wasn’t able to enjoy life like the other children at the Village. ‘She would always sit on her own in a corner,’ the SOS Mother says. Her SOS Mother soon realized that Carine suffered from a special condition, later identified as knee joint valgus deformity.
Carine was examined at a rehabilitation center for handicapped people in Bujumbura. Carine was later taken to the rehabilitation center of Gitega in Bujumbura. The treatment took more than six months. After that, Carine underwent several massage sessions to put her muscles back in place. Now, Carine’s legs are normal and she is happy to run with other children when playing hide-and-seek.
‘Now, Carine is a totally different child, she is happy, confident and she is making steady progress,’ her SOS Mother says, ‘she knows all the songs and poems and thoroughly enjoys the company of other children. What a difference SOS Children’s Villages can make!’
