Anastacia “Crocodile Woman”

As a 12-year-old girl, Anastacia barely survives a crocodile attack. She loses her left arm, the bone of the right upper arm is completely crushed. Anastacia is fighting for her life in Rundu hospital for weeks. Today she is 17 years old and lives with mother, grandmother and two younger sisters in a small mud hut near Omega. She is almost entirely dependent on the help of the family. She no longer goes to school, she doesn’t have the money for the school uniform and she finds it difficult to write because of her disability.

The Mudiro field team from autumn 2019 will include the orthopedic technician, Hansjürg Aebi, and the physiotherapist, Gabi Jakob. When this becomes known, a health worker sends Anastacia to the hospital with the San-Mrs. Mulelo – to Andara.

Gabi Jakob meets a young woman who is skeptical and unsettled and immediately realizes that she is not a case for physiotherapy, but for the technician. This means, however, that Anastacia must return to Rundu, 200 km away. It takes a lot of persuasions before she engages with it because she has an almost insurmountable trauma with this hospital. But Anastacia agrees, Barbara Müller organizes the transport.

Hansjürg Aebi, who is working in orthopedic engineering in Rundu, takes a plaster impression from his right upper arm to produce a stabilizing orthosis. Luckily, Anastacia is spared the night in the hospital, she is brought back home to her mud hut at Omega.

About a week later Hansjürg, Gabi and Barbara go to Omega to make a first test of the prosthesis. Anastacia reacts again skeptically and unsettled, but can be reassured by Gabi. At this moment Gabi decides to take over the sponsorship for the 17-year-old.  Anastacia is fulfilling the greatest wish to go back to school in Andara from January 2020.

After further adjustments, the upper arm rail now sits perfectly. Anastacia is overjoyed, finally, she can put her right hand back on. Mother and grandmother learn from Hansjürg to put the rail on correctly and are incredibly grateful to the Mudiro team. Anastacia’s future perspective has changed abruptly.

Gabi Jakob will visit her godchild again in her next assignment in 2020. Until then, the two will keep in touch via SMS. Nice news going back and forth.