Gift of Sound comes a step closer
AMINATA — the six year-old Gambian girl for whom kind-hearted EADT readers raised £6,000 — has flown
to Britain for the vital ear surgery which will rescue her from a silent world.
The tiny youngster has arrived in the UK ready for the delicate operation which will restore her hearing, thanks
to the generosity of readers who raised cash for our G loserift of Sound Appeal.
Aminata, her seven-month-old sister Adame and mother Mama are to stay in Colchester with the Kingfisher Trust
while clinical tests are undertaken at the St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery in Billericay.
Surgeons say the youngster will have to undergo ear, nose and throat tests and paediatric assessments before
they operate.
Once the routine tests are completed, the youngster should be ready for surgery within the next month.
Lorna Robinson, secretary of the Kingfisher Trust, said the six-year-old was delighted to be in Essex and had
fallen in love at first sight with the county.
She said: "She really likes it here. She is missing the rest of her family, but cannot get over the toys and
books that people pave given her."
One of her first outings was to the Moscow State Circus in Oldheath, Colchester, at the weekend where she was
dazzled by the spectacular antics of the 'acrobats.
Her mother Mama Sawaneh said she was overwhelmed by the kindness of people and wishes of goodwill since they
arrived. She said: "We are just looking forward to the operation now. Aminata is coping really well and I am
optimistic and hopeful everything will be all right.
"I am so grateful to everyone that has helped us and my thanks go out to your readers."
Without the surgery, routinely performed in the UK, Aminata faces a bleak future, with no education, career or
marriage prospects because of her deafness. Simon Wezel, founder of the Kingfisher Trust, first brought Aminata's
plight to the attention of the public last summer.
The EADT launched our campaign in the autumn and by Christmas
our readers had raised the £6,000 necessary to fly her to the UK and pay for medical expenses.
After hearing of her problems doctors and nurses at the St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery in Billericay
offered to perform the operation free of charge and in their own time.
by KATHARINE MAHONEY
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