
Kenta Coulibaly is an eleven-year-old boy suffering from an eye tumor. When his tumor first appeared, Kenta’s family intended to pursue a surgery in the city of Bamako. Sadly, they could not afford the costs associated with the treatment.

Kenta suffers from an orbital tumor. An abnormal growth of tissues in the structure that surround the eye. Even though they are rare, there is a certain type which primarily develops in young or middle-aged adults. Fortunately, the tumors can be removed surgically and rarely reoccur once they are removed. Most orbital tumors in children
are benign, but need treatment to preserve vision; some, are life-threatening. An accurate diagnosis is critical to the development of a treatment plan.
Kenta’s story is not unique. We hear many stories like this of children and adults in Mali facing humanitarian emergencies – children and adults who cannot be relieved of the burden of suffering from disease or trauma because of a lack of medicine or supplies, or the absence of health workers who know what care to provide; and families who watch their loved ones in severe distress unaware of how they can help.
When our team visited the village of Begassi in the Hawa-Dembaya
Community It was brought to our that 11-year-old was affected with a severe eye tumor impacting his development and social life. Further to the developmental and social issues the boy was facing, there was a potential risk that he could turn blind, if the tumor was not removed.
How Albatros is helping
Our CSR team organized a fundraising gala on November 1st 2019 which was primarily intended to fund the company’s “One Student – One Book Program”. During the gala there was an art auction by an Italian artist in collaboration with the youth of Hawa-Dembaya. A portion of the revenue was allocated to covering the costs of Kenta’s surgery. With his parent’s consent, Kenta was sent to Bamako for his surgery on December 19th, 2019. The surgery was successfully performed.
We don’t have the right words to say how grateful we are for your action. We were desperate. We once travelled to Bamako and tried to get surgery for our son, but we couldn’t afford it and returned to our village devastated. We are more than thankful.
When people from Albatros Energy Mali came to our house, I was happy and scared at the same time. I was happy to finally get a surgery and scared of the results. Today I feel normal and I can see much better. I’m very happy. My friends are happy as well because now we get to play together without them scared of hurting me. Thank you.
