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Kids First
Kids First
Chikondi’s Story
“I wish I could stand up and walk by myself just as my friends do. I admire them a lot.” That’s what 10-year-old Chikondi told us when we visited him.
Chikondi has never been able to stand on his own, much less walk. He needs pain-stopping surgery. But for too many families like Chikondi’s, the cost for transport to the hospital is just too much.
Transport Fees
Many of the families we serve are barely scraping by. Saving for transport fees isn’t possible when it’s a struggle just to get food on the table.
Can you imagine a child like Chikondi, a child who finally has the chance to have surgery to stop his pain… the doctors are ready… the surgery suite is equipped… but his family can’t afford to pay the transport fees to get to the hospital.
No child should miss out on orthopaedic surgery because they can’t afford to get there. That’s why we’ve built transport fees into the budget for this plan – to cover transport to LION (Lilongwe Institute of Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery) so kids aren’t left behind. Transport fees include public transportation like buses or boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) that will bring a child and caregiver to the hospital.
Ambulance
“Kids can crash very quickly and become unstable after surgery… LION needs ambulances to move patients to and from the main hospital. The ambulance will secure safe and comfortable transfers of kids between facilities.” – Dr. Leonard Banza, Hope and Healing International’s medical advisor.
Kids’ bodies are complex and vulnerable. And they’re especially vulnerable after surgery when they’ve been under general anaesthesia. That’s why we need to ensure medical staff have everything they need to administer life-saving care during post-surgery transports. All through an ambulance.