Faraja's story: the little boy given new hope by North East medics
By Helen Ford, Health Correspondent
For someone so young, Faraja has spent a great deal of time in hospital.
Last year, he was horrifically burned when he fell into a fire during a seizure. After visiting a series of hospitals in the hope of treatment, he was seen by a burns team from Northumbria Healthcare. Volunteers from the trust were making an annual working trip to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, or KCMC; a hospital based at Moshi in northern Tanzania.
At that time, Faraja was gravely ill. He was given reconstructive surgery which, among other things, saved his eyesight by enabling his eyelids to function. Faraja thrilled everyone by making a strong recovery, which allowed him to return to school.
This autumn, the Northumbria burns team returned to Tanzania and decided to perform a second operation on Faraja. This procedure focused on providing him with greater movement in his neck.
ITV Tyne Tees spent time with the team in Tanzania, giving us the chance to meet Faraja and his father Yohana.
He told me his son had been doing very well since the original surgery, explaining the main issue he now faced was that his mouth didn't always close.
The second operation was designed to change that, by helping the little boy to eat, drink, smile and talk more easily.
Faraja may be the Northumbria burns team's most high profile patient, but he is far from alone. Each year, consultants, doctors and nurses volunteer their time at KCMC, working to transform the lives of people who have been badly burned. A key aim of the team is to pass on skills and knowledge to local medics, to ensure they can continue the same work in the future.
Sadly, burns are all too common in Tanzania, due to the use of open fires and kerosene in the home. The partnership between KCMC and Northumbria Healthcare led to the establishment of a dedicated burns unit in Moshi, providing specialist treatment and care to people like Faraja.
The work in the burns unit is part of a wider partnership between Northumbria Healthcare and KCMC, which has developed over twenty years. Funding for the project comes from the health trust's charity, Bright Northumbria.
The medical team was delighted with the outcome of Faraja's latest operation. The little boy's resilience is one reason why the family has been taken to the hearts of the Northumbria Healthcare volunteers, who are led by Australian-based plastic surgeon Jeremy Rawlins.
Faraja, who is one of six children, must continue to recuperate. Longer term, his father has high hopes for his son. He hopes that Faraja can one day work for the benefit of others in his community.
You can watch my report on Faraja's story in the ITV Tyne Tees evening programme from 6pm on Monday 16th December.