In March of 2018, we experienced the nightmare of anyone called to help in a foreign country: due to sickness, we lost one of our precious children, Alidou Bassirou.

Alidou had been a part of our Child Sponsorship program since 2015. Doing so well in school, he had become an eager student, growing and learning every day.

However, one night in March, Alidou became very ill. He had a very high fever that was lowering his white blood cell count. While rushing him to the nearest hospital, located about 2 hours away from the village of Gbentchal, Alidou's body was not strong enough to fight off the disease any longer, and he passed before they could reach the hospital. Symptoms showed common illness that the village experiences, like Malaria or a waterborne disease. These illnesses can be treatable to a certain degree, but, because of the harsh conditions and lack of medical assistance in the village, we were unable to treat Alidou.

Losing him has left a heavy burden upon our hearts. But Alidou's death will not be in vain. For as Kay Hays, a supporter of Mentor Leaders, said to our founder,

"Alidou's spark will be the answer to saving the lives of many others in his village."

And that is exactly what his life will do.

God has used the tragedy of Alidou's passing to move Mentor Leaders in realizing this urgent need. Our clinic in the village is not where it needs to be yet, though already lives are being saved (we praise GOD for this!) and we are praying and assured by that that God will strengthen us and favour us since we're resolved to change this situation. Therefore, this project has become priority: to create a fully functioning clinic in the village of Gbentchal. Our hope is that the clinic will be able to manage these diseases for the lives of the ones we love! And we even dream of making it equipped with a fully functional maternal and pediatric ward, and one day a hospital to truly revolutionize one of the most destitute areas of west Africa.

Our children, our people, our community, and our fellow believers live in the same conditions with the same struggles Alidou lived in. To honor Alidou's life and because many more need life-saving care, we have started The Alidou Clinic Fund.

Thank you in advance for your support!