By Dee Anderson, SNAP Advisor
Of all the 400 disabled children Action Through Enterprise has supported through its SNAP programme, the story of four year-old Evans is probably one of our most inspiring.
When I first met him a couple of years ago, he was so tiny and undernourished, continually crying in pain. He was born without any arms and just a single finger on his left shoulder. The SNAP disability team had been working with him and his lovely mum Hannah, but she was struggling, he was screaming – and the team was really concerned.
That day, we took one look at him and knew we had to do something. He was so thin and distressed, we thought he might die. We arranged a taxi to take Evans and Hannah to Nandom hospital, where the doctor diagnosed what we probably already knew – he was severely malnourished and urgently needed food.
After a few months on the high nutrition, high calorie food we provided, along with extra vitamins and pain killers, we could already see the change – and gradually Evans began to gain weight. And smile!
Today, he is thriving. He can now sit up on his own, kick a ball while seated (see video below) – and can even take a few steps. It is such a story of determination.
Evans gets his grit from Hannah, who absolutely adores him. She told our team: “Life was hard to me and my child. There were a time I thought he might die – but now we are fine, we have hope.” I’m so pleased Hannah has just started training as a weaver through ATE”s apprenticeship programme. She is sure to make a huge success of it.
I’m so proud of Evans and Hannah. And also, the fantastic SNAP team, especially Helen who has advocated so hard for the family. Ernestina and Esther’s work with Evans – developing his walking, balance and hand co-ordination – is making such a difference. At the last SNAP meeting, he tried to hold his bag of food with his tiny finger (see photo above), which was a real moment of progress. Absolutely magic.