Shiva

Shiva is a 5-year-old boy who was born with extremely bowed legs due to a rare genetic disorder. He lives with his parents Goma and Tanka and his sister Himali in an impoverished village at the foot of the Himalayas in central Nepal.

Their home is a one-room shelter made from concrete slabs and a tin roof. The walls of the kitchen are made from bamboo sticks. It does not have a roof.

The family lives in extreme poverty. Shiva’s father Tanka secures the family’s income through goat rearing and a part-time job at a local welding workshop which is just enough to feed the family.

All members of the family have some kind of orthopaedic condition. His mum Goma has a mild form of cerebral palsy, his dad Tanka has a ‘windswept’ deformity and his sister Himali has bowed legs but not as severe as Shiva.

On most days his parents need to carry Shiva to school because walking beyond a certain distance causes him severe pain in his knees and ankles.

Mother Goma sadly says that the remarks of the villagers are even more painful: “They often laughed at us saying we were paying for the sins committed in a past life.”

Shiva often returns home in tears because other children mimic his way of walking and never allow him to play with them. 

Imagine the great pain his parents must feel not being able to help their child out of his misery.

Become a cbm Child Sponsor now and help Shiva and children like him to get back on their feet and walk to school free from pain.