With a Little HOPE, a Baby Can Thrive
But with the nurturing and care of Project HOPE volunteers, Baby Tom and his young mother grew strong and were able to return to their home soon after the birth.
Last spring, we told you the story of Baby Tom Kenyon Smith from Sierra Leone. Baby Tom Kenyon was born premature, along with his twin, in a Bo District Hospital of Sierra Leone. Sadly, his twin did not survive. But with the nurturing and care of Project HOPE volunteers, Baby Tom and his young mother grew strong and were able to return to their home soon after the birth. The family was so grateful for the care and support provided by HOPE volunteers, they honored HOPE by naming Tom after Project HOPE’s CEO, Dr. Tom Kenyon.
We have continued to check on Baby Tom over the last year, and his progress continues to do well. In fact, he is growing normally and thriving with the love and care of his family.
On my last visit, Baby Tom was seven months old. As you can see in these photos, Baby Tom is doing beautifully. He’s a very happy baby, sociable and with a great temperament. More importantly in a typical African family setting, he’s surrounded and supported by his extended family, including paternal grandparents, aunties and loads of cousins.
Project HOPE continues to work in Sierra Leone, teaching Kangaroo Mother Care to save babies lives. The simple intervention, of providing consistent skin-to-skin contact with mother and baby is giving newborns, especially premature newborns, a better chance of survival in an environment where incubators are not available or electricity not reliable.
Thank you for your continuing support. And please consider supporting our #SaveNewbornsNow campaign.