Danger at the Door
Faliciya’s story
Last year, while COVID-19 had forced schools in every corner of the world to close their doors, Faliciya — a 12-year-old girl from Luangwa, Zambia — went to stay for a few days with her grandmother. While she was there, she helped out with the daily household chores — cleaning, cooking, tending to the crops, and collecting water from the nearby Zambezi River.
One day, while Faliciya was at the river fetching water, her grandmother heard a scream. She ran down to the riverbank to find her granddaughter taken by a Nile Crocodile, one of the most common threats in the Zambezi River. Quickly, she began attacking the croc and was able to rescue Faliciya from its powerful jaws. But, sadly, Faliciya had lost her leg to the crocodile.
The Nile Crocodile is responsible for the majority of sponsored child deaths in Luangwa, with nearly 10 children taken and killed each year.
Faliciya was rushed to a village hospital to be treated for her injuries, but they couldn’t save her leg.
ChildFund supported Faliciya with a pair of crutches to help improve her mobility, but school is now too far away for her to walk. To ensure she continues with her studies, Faliciya’s father transports her on a ChildFund-provided bicycle, to and from school each day.
“I want to be a nurse,” says Faliciya, beaming with pride.
Your support will help ChildFund reduce the risk of animal attacks on children like Faliciya by:
• Making drinking water safer and easier to access
• Constructing schools closer to home for children
• Introducing technologies that deter wild animals
Read another story about animals causing destruction to families in this community.
Thank you for keeping children, youth and families in Luangwa Zambia safer from dangerous wildlife.
