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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter

A TEN-year-old child from Tsholotsho who has both female and male sexual organs is seeking financial assistance to the tune of $2,500 for an operation to get rid of one of them.

The child, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, is suffering from a rare condition called “ambiguous genitalia” also described as hermaphroditism.

The condition, the child’s parents told The Chronicle, is affecting the youngster emotionally and physically.

The Department of Rehabilitation at Tsholotsho District Hospital and the Tsholotsho Social Welfare Department discovered the child was suffering from the rare disorder in 2011 and have since tried to assist.

The head of department at the rehabilitation centre, Francis Mpala, said when they discovered the condition, they referred the child to a paediatrician at Mpilo Central Hospital who confirmed the child was a hermaphrodite.

A pathologist at Mpilo central hospital recommended the above mentioned investigations and procedures.

The doctor, said Mpala, also discovered the child was severely malnourished.

“The child lives with her grandmother in a very poor background which has resulted in her suffering from malnutrition. However, she was treated for it in 2011 at Mpilo Central Hospital where they then realised she should be operated for the ambiguous genitalia condition,” said Mpala.

“This is a rare condition but the doctors confirmed surgery could be performed locally. The child needs a total of $2,500 for the tests to determine which organ should be removed to leave her with one so that she functions normally,” he said.

The child’s widowed grandmother said the youngster was born with the condition.

She said the child did not seem to mind about her condition but “now that she’s growing up, it’s tormenting her and a solution has to be found.”

“This is a weird situation in society and as much as she may not have been affected in the past years, now she’s bound to. Her friends and schoolmates are not aware of her condition but teachers are. This is affecting her health because right now she grows pubic hair and I shave her every now and then. My fear is more complications will arise and torment her,” the grandmother said.

The mother went to South Africa and her whereabouts are not known, the father is not known.

Well-wishers can contact Whinsley Masara on 0776 263 533 or Mr Mpala on 0776 450 919.

-@winnie_masara