Saline is a young girl who lives in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. She was the third child born to her parents, but due to one sibling’s recent death, there are only two remaining. At the age of 3, she began suffering from an ‘unknown disease’. Her parents sought medical care from local dispensaries and later at a district hospital, but due to financial constraints (both parents are peasant farmers) they were unable to pay for treatment.

She was diagnosed with Noma, derived from the Greek “nomein” meaning “to devour”. It is a devastating bacterial necrosis that develops in the mouth and ravages the faces of its victims. It destroys both the soft and bone tissues of the face and mostly affects young children between the ages of two and six. Often called “the face of poverty, poor hygiene and malnutrition have been linked to this disease and the fatality rate is 90%. Saline has difficulty eating and is prone to further infection, however it is the social ramifications that are the most damaging.