Ziarmal with his father after his operation (WN09-0041-018).
07 December 2009
Ziarmal is a boy whose family wants the best for him. However he was born with a cleft lip, a medical condition that might limit his opportunities in the future.
Ziarmal’s father tried to find solutions to his son's problem. He finally came to see the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZ PRT) looking for help.
The NZ PRT does not have the resources to say yes to every person who comes to their gate. So the official position is 'we cannot help you'. Yet luckily for Ziarmal Private Hugh Morgan-French was on sentry duty that day.
He was not satisfied with the official answer, saying “Having a son of my own I could imagine this man’s desperation to give his son a better chance in life.”
PTE Morgan-French went around camp and got a number of people involved. It was decided we would seek donations from people to help this boy, then give the money to the local hospital so that the operation could be arranged.
The response was tremendous; the $800 US dollars required was raised in less than 10 days. The doctor was flown in, and the operation was completed. Now this little guy has a better chance at life than he did a month ago.
Ends
About 130 NZDF personnel make up the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZ PRT) in Afghanistan. The fifteenth rotation, commanded by Colonel Martin Dransfield, arrived in Afghanistan in October 2009 and will remain there for approximately six months.