Two tourists, Nadine and Sam, stopped to help us and somehow they got us into a car and we sped to the local hospital. I only remember snapshots from the next few hours. My eyelids were totally burned and it felt like my face was falling off. I have never felt so utterly powerless and vulnerable as I stood nearly naked screaming for help, desperately trying to wash the acid away. My thin trousers and T-shirt disintegrated before my eyes. Looking at my blistering skin, I realised it must have been acid as the smell was acrid, like boiling coffee. Within 60 seconds I was inside a beachside restaurant, managing to make my way to the customer showers where I turned on all the taps, and allowed the cold water to pour over my body. It’s strange, but I instinctively knew Kirstie was OK and it was fight or flight. In a flash, I reached for a dry part of my jumper to wipe my eyes and in a blind panic just ran. The smell was horrific and the pain immediate and consuming. I instantly knew something terrible had happened when the searing pain began as it splashed across the right-hand side of my face and body. In the split second it took me to look up and see two men, the liquid was already flying through the air towards me. I had no idea that this single piece of clothing would save me from even more of the excruciating pain that was about to come.Īs we turned left down a side street, a motorbike appeared and slowed right down next to us. Although we were sad to leave the children we’d become fond of, we were excited about our plans to travel in Tanzania before flying home.Īs Ramadan prayers were coming to a close, the streets began to fill and I remember laughing as I flapped my oversized jumper over my body to generate a breeze in the intense heat. It was our last day volunteering, so we headed out for a celebratory dinner. On the evening of the acid attack, people had been gathering to eat after prayers. But we were told it wasn’t necessary, and were welcomed warmly by the children and their families who invited us into their lives. Much of the population in Zanzibar is Muslim, so we were sensitive to the local customs, dressing respectfully and even offering to take off our Star of David jewellery (we are both Jewish).
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