Pierre’s story
Pierre lives with his father, Prosper, and his sister and grandmother in a little village outside Bangui, the CAR’s capital.
Their lives have been ripped apart by the ongoing conflict, and now, every day is a struggle to find enough food to eat.
Earlier this year Pierre’s weight began to drop. By July, he was falling sick repeatedly, refusing to eat and had become frighteningly emaciated. At three-and-a-half years old, he weighed just 9kgs and had severe diarrhoea.
Fearing little Pierre was about to die, Prosper walked the 12km to the nearest health facility carrying a starving Pierre in his arms.
“When I was walking I was praying on the way, I didn’t know if I was going to get to the hospital with Pierre alive. Even if I made it I didn’t know if he would make it,” says Prosper.
Once they entered the health centre, which receives support from UNICEF, doctors rushed to stabilise Pierre.
"When we got to the health centre,
everyone ran to him. I was not sure we
were going to take him home alive."
© UNICEF/Le Du