Mirror has managed to put a smile on the face of the ailing six-year-old boy of Vhurivhuri village, whose story appeared on our front page a fortnight ago. Our phones never stopped ringing shortly after the publication of the painful and heartbreaking story.

The agony of the little boy, Ndivho Nephawe, started when he developed a small pimple on his right thigh. The pimple grew bigger and bigger, making it impossible for him to play, sleep or go to school. He only attended the first two months of school at the local Tshibalo Primary School before he could not take it any longer. His once healthy body has now been reduced into a shadow of himself as he becomes leaner day by day. He had also developed lumps on his head, which make it shapeless.

More painfully, the sores in his mouth make his life a misery. The little boy’s unemployed grandmother, Joyce Nephawe, said she had done her best to have Ndivho cured, but to no avail. She said the family tried different forms of medical assistance but his condition worsened all the time.

One of the people who were touched by the plight of the suffering boy is a Limpopo businessman, Marius van Staden. Shortly after reading the story, he called Mirror to arrange a visit to the rural village of Vhurivhuri. The visit took place on Saturday, when Van Staden donated food supplements worth more than R700 to the ailing boy. The businessman is the distributor and supplier of e’Pap a primary weapon in the war against malnutrition, poverty and the onset of opportunistic diseases in people living with compromised immune system. He donated 20kg of the food supplement, which is enough for a period of six months.

However, Van Staden told the family that e’Pap is not a medicine. "This is purely a food supplement which has been developed using pre-cooked maize into soya protein, minerals and proteins. It helps to restore destroyed body cells and improves the health of those who are sick. It has been used in shelters, schools, boarding schools, crèches, day care centres, clinics, hospitals, the defence force, correctional services, feeding schemes, canteens and primarily to assist with famine and disaster situations. We know that the supplement will help the boy like it did to other thousands of people."

Van Staden said he will monitor the condition of the boy after each month. "I will conduct monthly visits to see how the boy is coping with the food supplements. I will also bring some medication that will help to get rid of the sores in his mouth. We want him to enjoy life like anyone of us."

The little boy’s grandmother, Joyce Nephawe, thanked Mirror and Van Staden for coming to the boy’s rescue. "Nobody ever took care of us but we are happy because we are one big family with Mirror and Marius," she said.

She further requests community members to assist the boy with a wheelchair because he cannot walk. "It will be easier for him to get a wheelchair so that he can also move around. He is bedridden and cannot do anything for himself."

Those who want to help can call 082 077 2822 or 079 786 1497.