Children's Fortnight: The story of Lucas Francisco

Bándua, SOFALA - "It was a very sad and difficult time. When he was 7 years old, my son went out to play and hunt birds with his friends, but he was bitten by a snake and bled a lot. When he arrived at the hospital in Búzi village, he was transferred to Beira, where they had to amputate his foot below the knee," said Marta Matenguerele, mother of 9-year-old Lucas Francisco Sarague, who lives in the town of Bándua, the most populated part of Búzi district in Sofala province.

Lucas stayed in the hospital for a month, struggling to understand what was happening, always asking his mother where his foot was: "After leaving the hospital, Lucas didn't want to leave the house for three months, it was very sad to see my son like that," recalls Marta.

But with the support of his family, especially his mother Marta, Lucas is back to being the happy and playful boy he always was. Lucas' biggest dream is to become a nurse, because of the nurses who looked after him when he was in the hospital.

Lucas also loves drawing and painting, "when I was recovering from my operation, I would spend my time drawing and painting rainbows and landscapes, and I really enjoyed it," said Lucas. That is why Lucas was very happy to receive new drawing material, a gift given by Light for the World in partnership with UNICEF.

Lucas' story serves as a reminder that "protecting children is everyone's responsibility", which is the motto of this year's Children's Fortnight.