Ama Ghar Displaced Children Fund

Alisha and her little sister Nirjala came to us as a result of the 2015 earthquakes, when they were age 8 (Alisha) and 7 (Nirjala). As we got to know Alisha better, we were puzzled by the fact that this obviously intelligent little girl was not speaking well - even the other children couldn't really understand what she was saying - but her younger sister was speaking quite clearly.

All of our children have some degree of post traumatic stress disorder when they come to Ama Ghar because of the difficult circumstances of their early lives, so we make sure they get compassionate counseling and therapy soon after arrival. Because Alisha was having trouble with speech, we sent her to a speech therapist. She made it clear she really didn't enjoy that - and it wasn't successful. What to do? We were puzzled.

Then we sent her for her first medical checkup with our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Neelam Adhikari, who is very well respected in Nepal. Dr. Neelam gives each of the children medical exams on a regular basis, and when she examined Alisha she realized that Alisha had a punctured eardrum! So that solved the mystery - she wasn't speaking well because she couldn't hear clearly.

Alisha was taken to a specialist, who was able to repair her eardrum, and her speech is continuously improving - almost on a daily basis. She's still an imaginative little girl who spends a lot of time in her own world - but with the help of Dr. Adhikari and your generosity, she will be able to function normally in school and participate in all the activities that her brothers and sisters enjoy. She has an amazing amount of energy - and now she's always smiling because she can make herself understood... although she still enjoys making funny faces, too.

One of the things that sets Ama Ghar apart from other homes is that we give our children this level of quality medical and mental health care - and we coudn't do it without you. Thanks, as always, for your generous heart.

Links:

• Organization Website