Krishiv Katuwaro was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD); a congenital condition where the femur bone (thigh bone) is either shorter or malformed, or missing in part. Despite living with the physical challenge of having one shorter limb, this eleven-year-old from Howick in KwaZulu-Natal is described as very active.

Now in Grade 5 (2025) at Howick West Primary School, Krishiv became a beneficiary of the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund five years ago (2020) when he was fitted with his first sponsored prosthesis. Since then, Krishiv requires regular follow-up consultations to make sure the padding on his prosthetic sports blade remains intact so that he doesn’t damage the blade while engaging in all the activities that he enjoys.

He is coping well at home and at his mainstream school where he makes good use of his prosthetic equipment on the soccer and cricket field. With a keen interest in Information Technology, Krishiv hopes to continue to be active and to one day help others living with physical disabilities to reach their goals regardless of the challenges.

Krishiv was selected as a The Star Foundation beneficiary in 2025.

Q&A

1. What are your favourite subjects at school and why?

Natural Science and Technology because I love learning about nature and learning how to wire things. I also enjoy Social Science because I love learning about history.

What would you like to pursue as a career one day?

I would like to pursue a career in Information Technology because I already know a lot about technology, and I really enjoy it.

2. What types of sport and extracurricular activities are you involved in?

 I play soccer and cricket.

3. What do you hope to try with your new prosthetic sport blade?

I hope to have an active and healthy lifestyle so that I could one day help people with all kinds of disabilities.

4. What is your message to children living with a physical challenge?

Things will be hard in life but with prayer and hard work you will make it through.