Thank you for following the Children of Sumatra in 2015. As we journey towards our busiest time of the year, it means so much to us to share our news and gain your support.
This year’s road trips have begun! We are stunned, each year, by the sheer and ever increasing number of children in need of our help. This year, despite the rough terrain and landslides along our way, we are managing to reach children in some of the most remote areas of Sumatra. Initially meeting these children and families is really quite indescribable; out of nowhere, our car arrives and children are given the chance for a future of new health and happiness which they have often never anticipated. As a result, this time of year can be just as emotional and heart warming as reaching that moment when we see children journeying home, beaming their new smiles as leave the rehabilitation centre in the coming months. This gift and opportunity is only made possible by our donors and volunteers each and every year and without them, these children’s hope would be lost.
We have, however, a very long road ahead of us this year; amongst the many new children already found during the first few days of our road trip, we have many children returning to us who were too unwell to undergo surgery in 2014. This means there is a rapidly growing number of children for whom we must provide a vast amount of care.
In so many cases, the medical help we provide for the children located on our road trips each year, is far from straight forward. Many children and babies suffering from cleft lip and palate deformity need urgent nutritional intervention and medicines to ensure they are healthy enough to under go surgery. This means we are working hard to reach children and assess their needs immediately, to allow them their best chance of receiving an operation this year.
Our teams of Dutch surgeons begin the first set of operations on 21st September this year. This is shortly followed by a second team of surgeons arriving to continue the operations on 19th October.
With a growing list of children, who are so deserved of this life changing surgery provided by these doctors, we find ourselves ever grateful to our regular donors and those whom share and support the work we do, as it is all made possible by you.
We very much look forward to sharing with you the next leg of our journey as we give hope to those in the far reaches of Sumatra, Indonesia, and start to prepare for the busiest, most emotional and rewarding segment of our year.
