A brave little girl learning to walk
Yvette Makeke, mother of five children, has been living in the Bumbu neighbourhood of Kinshasa for three years. One of her daughters, little Elisabeth Mandaka, is a radiant girl who was born in perfect health and is her mother's pride and joy. The first few months after her birth, the family lived a happy life.
But as Elisabeth grew older, Yvette noticed some worrying signs: unlike other children her age, the little girl was unable to stand up or crawl. She moved around by crawling on her stomach and seemed to lack energy. At 18 months, Elisabeth still cannot walk, does not eat properly and often seems tired. This situation plunges Yvette into despair.
In May 2025, Yvette went to a pre-school consultation at Bungwe Hospital and explained her concerns to the medical staff. The nurse who saw her recommended that she take her daughter to the physiotherapy department supported by HI so that she could receive appropriate care.
Full of hope, Yvette went there the very next day. After a thorough assessment of her condition, Elisabeth was admitted to the motor rehabilitation programme. Over the weeks, the physiotherapy sessions enabled her to make significant progress: she began to sit up, then stand up and finally walk little by little.
The key role of family and friends
Beyond medical care, Yvette herself played an essential role in helping her daughter and supporting her progress. HI physiotherapists gave her advice and taught her simple exercises to do at home to continue stimulating her daughter's motor skills. Her daily involvement and encouragement to talk and develop her independence are crucial to Elisabeth's progress.
All these efforts and determination are paying off: today, Elisabeth walks, plays, smiles and interacts with other children.
For Yvette, this is a huge victory: "Seeing my daughter walk gives me back my joie de vivre. Before, I spent my days feeling sad, but now I smile every day," she says emotionally.
Elisabeth's progress has also enabled Yvette to return to work. She had had to give up her business to care for her daughter full-time, but thanks to her new income, Yvette is now able to improve her family's daily life.
The story of Yvette and Elisabeth illustrates the impact of family and community support in the rehabilitation process. With the right support, every child with a disability can regain hope, mobility and dignity, and every parent can once again become an agent of change within their family.
Promoting child development
The Nurturing Care project has been implemented by HI in Kinshasa since 2022. Its aim is to improve young children's access to health services and education, with a particular focus on children with disabilities or those at risk of developmental delays. HI teams also train carers so that they can provide attentive care and encourage the children's development. By supporting children and their families, HI promotes their independence and dignity.
Since 2022, 977 children have benefited from health services and 100% of their carers have been trained in simple techniques to best support their children's development and learning. 190 children have received orthopaedic devices (orthoses, prostheses) to help them move around more easily, and 743 children with functional difficulties (gross or fine motor skills, language, social, vision, hearing and learning) have been supported in their schooling.
