The Healthy Child Fund covers health expenses not included in the regular budget of the orphanages we support. In addition to paying for preventive health needs, we have an emergency medical fund to cover unexpected sickness and injury. Currently we are using the Healthy Child Fund to help with prevention and medical emergencies for the children and their caregivers due to COVID-19.
World’s Children provides wells, water filters, and large water filtration systems at the children’s homes we support.
“We had a lot of problems due to lack of toilets. You have made for us new toilets. We are very grateful to you. You have made for us water facilities too. We thank you very much.” —Your loving Children, Katihar Boys’ Hostel
Cornonavirus
Malaria
Malaria is one of the greatest threats to the health of impoverished children in developing countries. A simple mosquito net can literally be a life-saver for a young child. We also install screens on windows and doors where appropriate.
Parasites
De-worming is a recurring health necessity. To de-worm 50 children for one year costs about $32.
Unexpected Illnesses
Sometimes a child needs to visit a doctor or go to the hospital. In an orphanage with 50-100 kids that can be costly.
Wherever we can, we provide washing machines. Toilet facilities always need updates and repairs.
We purchase milk cows and chickens—and help fund gardens—to improve nutrition at the orphanages that have the space to keep them. Not only do the children stay healthier when they eat well, they do better in school.
We found that childcare workers usually have limited training – or none at all – when it comes to childhood disease prevention and management. So we created The Healthy Child Handbook to help the staff diagnose and respond to illnesses in children’s homes in India.
The Healthy Child Handbook: A Guide to Childhood Wellness in Developing Countries
In addition to the handbook, we also created a companion coloring book because we found that the children were reading the manual with great interest.
The Healthy Child Handbook is available in English and it has also been translated into Telugu, the local language in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where we work with 13 children’s homes.
The Girl Fund
In October 2016, World’s Children established a pilot project called The Girl Fund at the Balavikasita Orphanage in India to provide access to health and education for adolescent girls in the orphanage.
It began with a grant from the Rosie Center that helped us supply the girls with menstrual supplies, education about their bodies, nutritional supplements, and access to medical care.
Helping Children Cope with Emotional Distress: A Guide for Caretakers
Many of the children we work with come from difficult backgrounds and have suffered emotional trauma. Most have lost their parents or were unwanted and unloved.
Helping Children Cope with Emotional Distress
is a free e-book that includes information about common behaviors that children express when they are in emotional pain and recommendations about how to help them.
These suggestions have been collected from the administrators of the orphanages that World’s Children supports in India.
READ, DOWNLOAD, SHARE
