Makhosi is 5 years old, a handsome, smiling, and very active little boy who fills every day with joy. He has been diagnosed with autism, intellectual disability, and a severe eating disorder.

Since he was very young, Makhosi has struggled with food. The smell, texture, and even the look of many meals make him anxious. Some foods cause such strong reactions that he starts gagging or vomiting just from touching them.

For years, his diet has been extremely limited. He could only eat baby food from jars, and the vitamins he takes must be in a tasteless, odourless powder mixed with juice. Recently, things have become much worse. Makhosi has stopped eating almost completely. The only food he feels safe with now is a chocolate croissant and apple juice, and nothing else.

We have searched for help everywhere. Unfortunately, through the NHS, the waiting time for proper therapy is very long. That is why I decided to look for private help and found a specialist clinic in England that can start treatment immediately. Sadly, the cost is far beyond my means. I am a single mother, working part-time so that I can take care of my son every day.

Please help us give Makhosi a chance to eat again, to enjoy food like other children, without fear or pain.

Your support means the world to us. Every donation, every share, and every kind word brings us one step closer to saving Makhosi from being fed through a tube.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Makhosi’s Mum

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, they will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives. If, in those circumstances, we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child, any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.