“Jeanette was so sick,” said Dr. Joseph Mucumbitsi, a Rwandan pediatrician. Bedridden for months, the 14-year-old only weighed about 65 pounds. Her heart, weakened and scarred from an infection, could not effectively pump blood to the rest of her body, and she was slowly suffocating.

Eight-year-old Louise was also struggling to survive. Her swollen body was wracked by recurrent asthma-like spasms in her lungs and persistent coughing. 

By Lydia Flier, 2010 PIH Summer Intern

	Teboho talks with PIH-L social workers. Donate Subscribe to Human Rights and Justice Please send donations to: Partners In Health, PO Box 996, Frederick, MD 21705-0996