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.