22-12-2023 | di COOPI

From Niger to Italy: finally Aliou's heart can receive proper care

In December, the little Aliou had arrived in Bologna (Italy) from Niger to receive the necessary treatment to face his congenital heart condition, a disease difficult to treat in his home country due to the lack of equipment and specialized doctors. On December 4, news of the successful operation at the IRCCS Policlinico di Sant'Orsola lifted the spirits of his mother Aichatou, who accompanied him to Italy and who will finally be able to return to Niger to the rest of his family.

Aliou is the last of nine brothers and sisters, he is only 21 months old and belongs to a very poor family in the Tillabery region, located 120 km north of the capital Niamey. More than a year ago he had been visited by the mobile health team of COOPI - International Cooperation, which had expressed concern about his health condition.

We initiated a request for support to the Piccoli Grandi Cuori Association of Bologna, which takes in children with congenital heart disease in collaboration with specialized doctors.

 Morena Zucchelli Chief of Mission of COOPI in Niger explains, adding:

We took action to apply for Schengen visas but it was not easy. After the coup in Niger on July 26, 2023, the French Embassy, which issued visas for Europe, had to close its doors. We finally got it from the Italian Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire, thanks to the support of the Italian Embassy in Niger.

The first persons to meet Aliou were the one of COOPI's medical team, funded by the European Humanitarian Aid, and consisting of a midwife, a nurse, a nutritionist and a community mobilizer, whose role is to inform locals of the clinic's activities and times. The clinics' mobility makes it possible to treat free of charge - for an average of 100 patients a day - people in different parts of the country, where access to health facilities is challenged by a lack of equipment and the arrival of large numbers of displaced people fleeing Islamic terrorist groups.

Niger's health and humanitarian situation is increasingly unstable, and sanctions imposed on the country since the July Coup are severely affecting the availability of humanitarian aid and medicine. Particularly in the Tillabery region, located on the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, health care needs are high for both the local and displaced and refugee populations affected by the conflict.

Thanks to COOPI's collaboration, fostered by project leader in Niger Morena Zucchelli, with the association Piccoli Grandi Cuori and the Italian Embassy in the country, Aliou was able to receive proper treatment and as soon as his rehabilitation period is over, he will be able to return to Niger to his family.