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!