Qais Learns to Walk Thanks to KSrelief-supported Artificial Limbs Center in Seiyun

Some newborns suffer from malformations that affect their ability to live normal, productive lives. Some of these conditions are caused by genetic factors, while others arise from the effects of malnutrition and other socioeconomic challenges.

Qais Muhammad Ba Fayyad is twelve years old, and is an orphan from Yemen’s Shabwah governorate. He was born with a deformity of his left foot, and his mother has struggled to find the proper care and treatment for him. Unfortunately, the family’s impoverished living conditions prevented her from getting Qais the specialized assistance he needed to overcome his handicap.

As Qais got older, the only way he could move on his own was to hop on one leg. At the age of eight, his mother enrolled him in school, but his ability to walk normally was a great burden to him. His mother took him to be fitted with a prosthetic limb, but unfortunately, the limb he received was so heavy, Qais was unable to move with it.

Qais’s also suffers from diabetes and takes insulin daily, and his mother worries about any injuries that might affect his foot or any other part of his body, since diabetics are vulnerable to infections due to their compromised immune systems. Qais needed health and social services, but such services are often difficult to obtain in Yemen, especially for low-income families.

After years of suffering, Qais found hope at the KSrelief-supported Artificial Limbs Center in Seiyun. Technicians at the center manufactured a high-quality, lightweight prosthetic device for Qais, and he received training from the center’s physiotherapy team to lean to walk on his own. Today, Qais walks, plays and goes to school with his peers, and is optimistic about his future.

Qais talks about life with his new limb: “I am very comfortable with this beautiful, lightweight device. Now I can move on my own two legs, and go to school like my friends. My life has improved so much, and I plan to use my education to become a pilot someday.”