By Dr Girish Kulkarni | Founder
Thank you for all your support and entrusting us to help to our survivors. As an example, we were shocked when 16-year-old Shobha (name changed) was rescued from a hospital in Ahiliyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar) District.
She was able to tell us how her father had killed her mother in front of her when she was in 2nd standard leaving her and her siblings orphans. Her younger sister was taken in by her step-grandmother while Shobha and her brother went to live with her maternal uncle. However his intentions were not good and from the age of 13, Shobha was abused over four years.
When Shobha started experiencing stomach pains and bloating, her aunt took her to hospital where the doctors discovered that she had contracted HIV. Learning of her diagnosis, Shobha’s aunt quickly abandoned the girl, leaving her at the hospital. The medical team alerted the police who quickly arranged for her to be admitted to Snehalaya.
Following her admission to our childcare institution, we conducted a medical examination at our Caring Friends Hospital. A sonography showed that her small intestine was damaged requiring emergency surgery, and she was admitted to a local hospital for further treatment. The cost of the treatment is approximately one and a half lakh rupees (approx $1,700) and we were able to cover these costs thanks to your support. We are also wokring to ensure the criminals who abused the child, directly leading to her HIV status and intestinal damage, are severely punished under the full weight of the law.
Our hospital has been directly affected by the cuts made to international funding from the USA. Previously we were receiving mentoring made possible through USAID. Now this has ended, the vital lifeline our hospital provides to children like Shobha and those living with HIV has been severely reduced. This September, GlobalGiving is offering vital match funding for projects such as ours to help plug the gap left by the US cuts. Donate between 8 and 12 September to inject some much needed funds to our hospital and medical support.
Rest assured, the support you already offer is directly helping Shobha and many others like her to rebuild their lives and we are incredibly grateful that you have chosen to stand with us for justice and futures full of hope.
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