Free medical service for poor children
In Paraguay, two-year-old Maria Bogada suffered from a cleft palate. With only a minimal income from trash collections to support their family of six, Maria's parents had no means to afford her medical expenses. Tzu Chi volunteers lent a helping hand, arranging for Maria to receive surgery. Meanwhile, Tzu Chi also cooperated with a local hospital to provide free flu vaccinations for impoverished children.
巴拉圭兩歲大的瑪麗亞患有唇顎裂，瑪麗亞的父母以拾荒為生，微薄的收入要養四個小孩，根本沒有錢讓瑪麗亞動手術。慈濟人伸出援手，安排瑪麗亞住進醫院動手術，而另一方面，慈濟志工和醫院合作，免費幫兒童注射流感疫苗。
< Free flu jabs and toys >
A long queue of children are waiting in line for free flu vaccinations. Led by hospital staff, the youngsters move with the music to shake off their pre-injection anxieties. With local volunteers translating the prayer song into Spanish, the children follow along with Tzu Chi volunteers, folding their hands in prayer. And these boxes of toys were prepared by Tzu Chi volunteers. The children can hardly wait to play with them.
Filled with ecstatic happiness, these children - who often don't even know where their next meal will come from -- never dreamt they could ever have a toy. The volunteers feel a tinge of sorrow upon seeing their delighted faces.
< Surgery for cleft palate child >
Volunteer compassion was also roused for this little girl - Maria Bogada. Only two years old, Maria was born with a cleft palate. The soft palate inside her mouth has a hole that allows milk to gush through her nose whenever she drinks it. Thankfully, an operation is about to end this child's torture. Tzu Chi volunteers arrange for her to receive surgery at this women and children hospital. The operation was successfully carried out within an hour. Maria wailed over her pain as the anesthesia wore off.
< Successful operation >
The director of this hospital - Luo Jixian is both a Taiwanese immigrant and a Tzu Chi volunteer. It was thanks to his assistance that Maria was successfully operated on. He informs the volunteers how to take care of Maria after the surgery, as he is most worried about her malnutrition.
< Malnourished family >
Doctor, Luo Jixian:
"The problem is the child is undernourished. With operations, we'd hope the patient has enough nutrition, because the healthier you are, the faster the wounds can heal. Her mother is also malnourished, so that's why she doesn't have enough breast milk."
< Tzu Chi care continues apace >
Maria's parents rely on collecting trash to get by. Their monthly salary is only around 90 USD - barely enough to feed their four children. Milk is prepared by the volunteers, as they send Maria and her mother home. The messy and dingy house is less than 20 square meters in size, but houses a family of six - thus, improving their living condition has become the next item on the volunteers' agenda.
大排長龍、等著注射免費流感疫苗的小朋友，在醫院同仁帶領下，隨著音樂擺動身軀，放鬆注射疫苗前緊張的心情。當地志工逐句翻譯祈禱的歌曲，孩子們跟著慈濟志工雙手合十的的祈禱，慈濟志工準備的整箱整箱玩具，有人拿到就迫不及待當場玩起來。
滿心歡喜，這裡的孩子平常三餐能不能吃飽都是問題，更別說是擁有一個玩具；大家開心的神情，帶給慈濟志工的卻是憐惜的心情。
而這個女孩瑪麗亞更讓慈濟志工割捨不下，兩歲的她天生患有唇顎裂，口腔裡面內顎軟骨裂的大洞，讓她平常喝牛奶會從鼻腔倒噴出來，但慈濟志工要讓她的折磨從此畫下句點，她們要幫助瑪麗亞進行手術；不到一個小時，手術順利完成，麻醉退去的瑪麗亞痛得不斷哀嚎。
這間醫院的主任羅繼賢醫師，是台灣僑胞剛好也是慈濟人，在他的幫助下，瑪麗亞的手術才能如此順利；他特別交代慈濟志工手術後應該注意的事情，最讓他擔心的是，瑪麗亞身體的營養根本不夠！
Doctor, Luo Jixian：
「問題是這小孩子是營養不足，我們開刀都是希望說你營養越足的話，傷口結疤越好，她媽媽也是營養不足，所以母奶也不夠。」
瑪麗亞的父母以拾荒為主，一個月的薪水只有美金90元左右、家中卻有四個小孩要養；慈濟志工在送他們回去時，買了牛奶給他們。他們五坪不到的房子骯髒凌亂，卻住著一家六口，如何幫助他們改善居家環境，是慈濟志工下一步的計畫。
http://www.newdaai.tv/?view=detail&id=52984
