This year's Christmas greetings couldn't be more special. Mostapha is 8 years old, from Diffa, Niger, and we're delighted that he is the star of our Christmas card.
Since 1996, Fundació Campaner has been committed to curing, preventing, and eradicating the Noma disease in Niger, a bacterium that, due to a lack of nutrition and hygiene, affects vulnerable children, attacking the facial soft tissues and disfiguring the faces of those who suffer from it. The good news is that with two or three doses of penicillin, the bacteria die, stopping the infection and ensuring that children like Mostapha survive.
The foundation operates a home in Diffa, where it provides accommodation and care for those who, like him, have suffered from the disease, and others who, even if they aren’t suffering from the after-effects of Noma, are homeless orphans, living alone. The ongoing war in Niger and Boko Haram terrorism in recent years have made their lives even more difficult.
Just over a year ago, workers of the foundation found the little boy; he had contracted Noma and has been in the NGO's foster home ever since. In Mostapha's case, he survived the infection and has been in Mallorca for a few months to undergo surgery for the after-effects of Noma. Dr. Victor Lasa, a specialist in maxillofacial surgery, and his team will perform a reconstruction on the little boy's face at the Son Espases hospital. Operations like this are the result of an agreement between the Fundació Campaner and IBSalud, which for years has been providing these children with a better quality of life.
In the case of Mostapha, we are proud to have been able to cover part of the costs of his journey and stay in Mallorca.
Hotels VIVA has been supporting the Fundació Campaner for 18 years now, doing our bit by providing annual financial aid, in appreciation of the great work they carry out.