Othman’s Story - Part One

Published by GCA Tanzania - Written by Francis Mwakatenya

November 2023

The Boy

Sitting on a sofa, shirtless, with bright eyes, chocolate skin tone and a body full of scars is a 3-year-old -boy known as Othman; living with a Foster Family in a small community in the southern part of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His left underarm muscles and joints are stiff. He has significant scars on his neck and back. Othman is recovering from burn injuries suffered when he fell into hot frying oil while accompanying his mother at her workplace.

With all of his burns, Othman's parents could not afford proper medical care so they kept him inside the house, using traditional remedies. When they needed to work, they left him with his eight (8) year old brother to care for him. As a three-year-old child, he needed nurture and care from his parents especially with his injuries. The odds for survival were not in Othman’s favor. 

Days and weeks passed, and Othman’s wounds became more serious. Othman’s peers began having concerns for not seeing him for a while. The neighbors' curiosity grew and finally one of them mustered up the courage to knock on Othman's door one morning after his parents have left. What she found out in the house could not go unreported to the authority. It was Othman in a dreadful condition.

The Foster Carers

After receiving the report, the Government Social Welfare Officer had to rescue the child and turn the parents over to the police. One question remained, who would take care for the child while admitted at the hospital?

With no relatives in the area, the child needed someone in addition to the nurses in the hospital to care for him while admitted. After being discharged from hospital he would also need a family. No one was sure yet how safe his biological family would be.  Only one solid option remained: standby foster parents who had recently completed training with the support of GCA. The child would have ended up in an orphanage if a foster home had not been available.

Part of GCA’s mission in Tanzania is to establish a reliable structure of alternative families for children in need of parental care with the hope to reduce dependency on orphanage placements. This ensures children are protected within the love of a family.  Thus, in collaboration with Local Government Authority, 18 committed volunteers were trained and ready to receive children in need.  Aisha was one of them.

As a foster caregiver, Aisha took the role of a parent since the day Othman was admitted to the hospital. Aisha attended to him in the ward the entire time he was hospitalized. As it is for too many of the foster parents in Dar es Salaam, Aisha and her husband Juma are not wealthy. Yet they are full of love and compassion for vulnerable children like Othman. They did their best to provide basic needs.

After Othman’s discharge from hospital, Aisha took him to her house, continued escorting the boy to clinics regularly. The bonds between Othman and the foster parents grew stronger in a very short time. He feels at home and more accepted. 

“Without the training I went through on foster care this would have been difficult for me to handle.” Aisha said during the first GCA team visit.

“Right now we are really happy that Othman is doing fine but due to delays in his treatments, his left hand has become rigid to stretch. I hope he can be assisted to straighten his arm. Otherwise he might be crippled for life.”  She expresses her concerns with Othman’s total recovery.

Aisha understands the importance of biological family to Othman.  She supports rebuilding the bond between the child and his biological family after the Social Welfare Officer gives her a green light.  “We’re glad that Othman’s parents now come to visit their son to recreate their bond.  “Despite everything that has happened, still this boy belongs to them.”

With the foster care, the light has returned to Othman’s face and with it, hope for the future. The GCA team is still collaborating with government officials to ensure that Othman receives the attention he deserves to flourish. 

Please Note: To maintain confidentiality of GCA clients, all identities used in this narrative have been changed.