Disability Aid in Rural Peru

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your help and support with our disabilities program in the Sacred Valley region of Peru.  We have really appreciated your efforts in backing our endeavors to improve the lives of disabled people in the Sacred Valley.

As you know from prior reports, we are seeking for sustainable long-term solutions for each of our patients to ensure they will still receive the care and support they need as we work towards broader goals of improved rural health in general. As follows is an update about the situation and progress with each of our program participants.

We have three patients with whom we are currently working. Roxanna is 11 years old and has been diagnosed with epilepsy. Her family cannot afford the seizure medication needed to manage her seizures. Therefore she is unable to attend the local school because the teacher does not know how to handle the situation. We are working towards enrolling Roxanna in a school specialized for children with disabilities. Attending this school will enable Roxanna to receive the specialized care and attention she needs to succeed in school.

Alex is 13 years old and has cerebral palsy. He currently stays at home in his bed all day because his family has to work and he has no other means of transportation. We are in the process of securing a firmer mattress to increase his back support and enforce better bed railings to ensure his safety. We are also partnering with another organization, MySmallHelp, to obtain a wheelchair that can be fitted to Alex specifically in the hopes of transporting him to the school specializing in children with disabilities.

Jose is 20 years old and has cerebral palsy as well. He has great family support but his mother is a single working mom and both his siblings attend school during the day, so he stays home alone usually. Unfortunately due to his age, the school for children with disabilities is hesitant to enroll him in their program. However, they have an outreach program for children unable to attend the school. We are in the process of working with the school to have Jose be a part of the outreach program and receive more care and therapy.

We are close to reaching sustainable long-term solutions for each of our patients; we estimate that transportation for meetings with the schools and visits to make these plans, and the construction of Alex's bed rails will cost only an additional $200 over the next three months. (We are revising our project goal accordingly!)

We appreciate your continued interest, help and support with the disability aid project. With your help and support we have been able to impact our patients' lives in very positive ways. We really appreciate it and please don't hesitate to email us at (health@awamaki.org) if you have any further questions about the future of our program!

Hello friends! Thank you for your support of our disabilities program in rural Peru. I am writing to update you about Awamaki's health and disabilities support program. We are currently in the midst of an exciting transition. Awamaki's health program has grown significantly, and we are focusing increasingly on the provision of health services to all the rural poor, not just the disabled. Local sustainability is a major priority as we move forwards, and we are thus shifting our disability program focus from patient care to patient empowerment.

This takes a unique form for each of our patients. After working with over ten patients in the region over time, we currently work with three patients. Jose, our oldest patient, is now twenty years old. Jose has cerebral palsy and is therefore confined to his wheelchair in his family’s one-room home. We are trying to connect him with a local support group. Alex, who was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy, has not been as lucky as Jose. Without a wheelchair, Alex is only able to leave his home and watch his beloved trains roll by to Machu Picchu on days when Awamaki volunteers visit. With sufficient funding, we can find a wheelchair and training for Alex and his family. Our third patient is an eleven-year-old girl named Roxanna. Roxanna was diagnosed with epilepsy and mental retardation as a child. Her fear of cars combined with her family’s remote residence has made getting Roxanna to school more difficult than we anticipated.

School remains a priority for Jose, Alex and Roxanna. Enrollment in a special-needs school in the next town is only the first step; funding (including your support and a three-way partnership with the municipality and another local non-profit) will provide transportation and tuition, and also enable us to see that they and their families can access the specific long-term care they require through the school. Our focus is on helping families create a long-term plan for their children in which they attend school and access care through not only their school but the health services that our growing program now provides to the general public. We will always be there for our special-needs program participants and their families, but we and their families believe this is a more sustainable, healthier and better long-term option for the children. Executing this plan is a tall order, but our dedicated volunteers and staff are ready to work tirelessly until that dream is realized!

Thank you for your continued support, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this exciting transition!

Best,

Kennedy Leavens

Executive Director, Awamaki

kennedy@awamaki.org