Eliu is 9 years old, in the third grade, likes school, does his homework, and helps around the house. Eliu lives with his Abuela (his Grandma) in a little village near a FAME global shipping partner. About a month ago, Eliu and some cousins were playing, and Eliu jumped down from a fence onto a pile of broken concrete blocks. Somehow the block he landed on turned and pinned his foot as he continued his none-too-controlled landing. His Grandma took him to the Public Health Clinic where they did nothing to help him for the next 3 days. They then sent him to the Public Hospital in a larger city where he was put under some anesthesia and the deep soft tissue injury just below his ankle was sewn up. The medical staff then put on a tight dressing and splint. Surprisingly, less than two hours later, he was discharged and sent back to the Public Clinic. The partner suspects that this was a crucial point of further injury to his foot due to post-op swelling inside the constrictive bandage because the boy remembers waking up along the way back to the clinic with excruciating and unrelenting pain in his foot. At the clinic, they again did nothing for a day to help him (not even loosening or changing the dressing). They then sent him back to the Public Hospital where they too did nothing to help his pain. Finally, they sent him to the largest public health hospital in the country. At this large facility they too did very little for 11 days, and finally told Abuela that the plan was to amputate his leg.
Somewhere along the way, Abuela heard of FAME partner, Hospital Loma de Luz, and was able to have him moved out of the national hospital and into Loma de Luz 17 days after the original injury. There, after receiving loving and quality care at this FAME partner facility, he has a viable foot and the ankle fractures are finally healing. He will run and play again!
We like to be cautious when we speak about the public clinics and hospitals in the developing world, but for a substantial variety of reasons, the care, funding, staffing, and quality of the public healthcare systems are less than adequate. This is especially true for those who cannot afford available healthcare.
That is why FAME is working globally to bring access to healthcare, attached to the love of Jesus, closer and closer to more of the world’s most vulnerable. Unfortunately, stories like Eliu’s repeat day after day around the world.
At this moment, 13 Sustainable projects are in preparation or under construction because people need access to healthcare. Equipment and supplies are being sent by shipping containers and smaller loads every day!
When you say “Yes!” to FAME, YOU make this possible!