11-year-old Shahzad came to the South Florida Centre in Machar Colony clinic with a high fever and severe throat infection, caused by the changing weather and the unhygienic conditions in which he lives. Machar Colony, the location of the fishing industry, is a wasteland spanning five square kilometers and housing more than 700,000 people. An open industrial sewage drain cuts right through it, with no separation from or protective measures for the community around it.The children of Machar Colony are primarily engaged in the shrimp-shelling business and often develop skin and eye infections because of their work. Shahzad’s mother had brought his four siblings along with her since they too were sick. Shahzad’s father works in a mosque and his earnings are too meagre to fulfill the nutritional requirements of all his children. At least this centre ensures that when they fall sick, children like Shahzad have access to a qualified doctor and safe medicines.
