Four-year-old Abdoul Aziz Coulibaly is the youngest of four siblings, living in a small village in Mali. While his older siblings grew up healthy, Abdoul was regularly in and out of the hospital for various ailments.
During the day, Abdoul could see perfectly, but as the sun went down, he would lose most of his vision. Unknown to him, Abdoul was suffering from nyctalopia, or night blindness. Vision loss, frequent infections, and other signs of malnutrition are common among young children who don’t get enough vitamin A in their diets. However, with Helen Keller’s help, children who do not consume sufficient vitamin A through their regular diets receive vitamin A capsules every six months until their fifth birthdays. This simple and inexpensive solution is vital for developing their vision and immune systems.
Immediately after Abdoul received his first dose of vitamin A, his parents were stunned at how quickly their son’s vision improved. Moreover, his appetite increased, and Abdoul began spending more time playing with other children, even after the sun went down.
