AN ALLOA man is hoping to raise funds towards surgery for a small Ghanaian girl, who suffered a terrible accident in her home.

Local Gary Drummond is no stranger to charity work and collecting cash for good causes, he volunteers at Forth Valley First Responders amongst various other things.

No matter where people come from, the 30-year-old man is keen to help whenever he can and this time he is supporting little Elizabeth Abraham, from the small village of Kakumodo in Ghana.

She is not even two-years-old yet, but had to go through hell when a fire broke out in her room.

Her brother, three, was able to escape, but Elizabeth was sleeping on the rubber carpet, which melted onto her body, causing severe burns to her stomach, legs and hands.

As the carpet made her immobile, the TV also got burnt and dripped onto her head, causing more pain and injuries.

The little girl miraculously survived and was rushed to hospital where she was in a coma for three days.

Gary explained that healthcare in the African country is nothing like the NHS; she has been in hospital for four months, but her family would have to pay for surgery – at the cost of around £2,200 to put her on a path of proper recovery.

She almost totally lost her sight in one eye, too, but the surgery would hopefully allow her to see and walk again and attend school to learn.

Gary heard the story when he was volunteering at a hospital in the West African country's Cape Coast earlier this year, something he chose over going on a relaxing holiday.

He said: “The healthcare over there is nothing like we've got here. There were kids dying that wouldn't even get close to that over here.

“I got friendly with one of the guys who looks after the volunteers over there and because of my fundraising over here, I thought I'm gonna try and do something about this.”

He has already helped one youngster out of his own pocket. Jessica Otiwah needed specialist heart surgery because she had a hole in the vital organ, but it was not easy to secure one.

Gary paid for her flight to Israel and back so she can undergo the procedures needed, with many others supporting her along the way as well.

He said: “I don't care who they are or what religion they are or where they come from, if they need help they are going to get help, that's the way I see it.

“I just think it's horrible that kids anywhere in the world can't get simple healthcare. She's near blind in one eye, scarring across her whole body, she struggles to walk, when she does try she is in extreme pain.

“That's the kind of stuff the surgery will hopefully fix.”

Gary is appealing for donations online.

Email Gary at gdfundraising@outlook.com for more information or to help out in any other way.