Fundraiser Launched for Moroccan Toddler Awaiting Kidney Transplant in Spain

The boy, around three years old, was born in Nador with a rare disease that causes malformations in his hands and digestive system. In less than three years, he has already undergone four surgical operations and is awaiting a kidney transplant.

To follow the treatment in Malaga, Ayoub and his mother, Bouchra, have been forced to settle in the Spanish city. Without means, they are being cared for by the Lagunillas Cruz Verde Association of Malaga, which has just launched an appeal to help the boy and his mother travel to Morocco to spend time with the rest of the family, while waiting for the kidney transplant operation at the Virgen del Rocío hospital in Seville.

"They have been in Spain for two years and will spend another five years here. We are asking for help, between 500 and 700 euros, to allow the child and his mother to return to Morocco for a certain period of time, Ayoub is like a son to us," explains Curro López, the president of the association that has been supporting the family since their arrival in the city, to Viva Malaga.

Ayoub suffers from chronic kidney failure and lives with a nasogastric tube for feeding. After months of struggle, his mother was able to obtain a residence permit in Malaga, but "does not have a work permit," laments the head of the association, who is asking for the help of good-hearted people to assist Ayoub and his mother.