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Baby Manqoba with mum Shamiso Yikoniko

#Digital Dialogue with Delta Milayo Ndou

One of the most embarrassing moments of my adult life was when I had to ask for help on a very personal matter from a stranger because I had exhausted all other avenues and had to face up to the reality that I was in a total bind. This was several years ago, and very few people knew that I was in dire straits because we are generally not built to show pain, to reveal our struggles or to publicise our personal problems – we paste smiles on our faces and brave each day as it comes hoping the storm passes.

But there are some storms that do not pass and in the end we have to take shelter by calling out for help, we bare our souls and hope that our pleas fall upon empathetic ears and are met with compassionate hearts.

In the digital age, calls for help can take on the form of crowd-funding platforms such as GoFundMe that allows people to raise money for events ranging from celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illness.

Asking people to raise money towards your cause is not a new social phenomenon; for instance, in families they create committees and contribute towards funding a wedding or towards meeting burial expenses.

In the digital age, however, the tools at our disposal enable our pleas for help to transcend our immediate family and friends, they echo globally, reaching wider audiences than ever before and enabling strangers to lend real and meaningful support to distant sufferers.

It takes a lot to share personal pain, but for many of us, if the stakes were high enough, we would rather ask for help than suffer in silence.

I believe the stakes do not come any higher than when the life of your baby is on the line as is the case with #BabyManqoba’s parents.

Having exhausted all avenues to raise the funds necessary to have their baby undergo liver transplant in India within a month, the mother, Shamiso Yikoniko – who happens to be a fine journalist – made a plea for help earlier this week and provided her account details as follows – Bank: FBC Bank (FBC Centre Branch) Account Number: 3070070770125.

I do not think it was an easy decision to make and so I write this article to amplify her plea for help, as has already been done and is being done by many other well-wishers, within and beyond the journalism fraternity.

Saving #BabyManqoba – Every dollar counts

The sum of money required to save Baby Manqoba is quite large but if, by amplifying the mother’s plea, it happens that someone somewhere can make a contribution, no matter how small, writing this article will have been worthwhile. Baby Manqoba Mabhena (whose name means “conqueror”) has an infectious toothless smile and a captivating giggle – but that’s now what most people first notice when they meet her.

Her distinctive yellow eyes draw strangers to often ask the question, “What’s wrong with her eyes?”

Now nine-months-old, Manqoba was born with a condition called biliary atresia, which was diagnosed when she was five-months-old. Currently a GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com) campaign running headlined “New Liver for baby Manqoba” has been set up to carry the plea for help forward while artistes in Bulawayo have mobilised to do a small concert following a sponsored walk to raise funds.

Bulawayo journalists who have approached corporates in the city to pledge towards this fundraising initiative will be participating in the sponsored walk. The response from Bulawayo largely stems from the fact that Baby Manqoba’s father is a greatly admired journalist who, until very recently, worked at The Sunday News publication where he diligently mentored many cub reporters including myself.

According to her mother, Manqoba’s illness is emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially draining and the amount required for the liver transplant is US$50 000 to cover hospital fees, airfares, visa fees and eventualities. We would be grateful for anything that you can give to accord Manqoba a new lease of life and you can do so by depositing into Shamiso Yikoniko’s FBC account (shared above) or sending your contribution to her via Eco Cash on 0772935224. Whatever sum you can spare will be most welcome.

Crowdfunding: Leveraging on the power of a crowd

The success of GoFundMe campaigns rests in that it activates the power of a crowd or a digital community in order to achieve a financial target towards accomplishing a shared goal. On their own, Baby Manqoba’s parents cannot raise the $50 000 they need to save their baby’s life but if enough individuals can contribute what they can towards that goal – then Manqoba stands a fighting chance. Apart from the GoFundMe campaign that is online, offline activities to assist in fund-raising include the sponsored walk by journalists and a small concert by artistes in Bulawayo as well as other initiatives being mooted by well wishers.

Success stories on crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe are testament to what can be achieved when one leverages on the power of a crowd and asks for help in a time of need. I am persuaded that no amount is too little to give and I hope that those (near or far) who have the means to answer this plea for help will choose to do so via bank transfer to Shamiso’s FBC account, via EcoCash to her mobile or via the GoFundMe campaign online.

I remarked to a friend that $50 000 is a lot of money, someone who only has $5 (for instance) to give might feel there is little point in contributing such an amount because the gesture may seem futile considering the required amount. But no kind gesture is ever futile and no amount that someone manages to contribute is too insignificant in the quest to help Baby Manqoba. Asking for help is really not an easy thing to do but when the stakes are this high – asking for help is the only thing to do. Please donate if you can.

Delta is Head of Digital at Zimpapers. Follow her on Twitter: @deltandou