What's Been Happening
A young girl seriously burned
 We received some terrible news recently about one of the young girls who attends “The Mango House”. The girl had returned to her native village in Karnataka a couple of months ago where she worked in the fields and also cooked for the family at home. One day while at home she reached over while cooking, her dress got too close to the fire and caught alight. She didn't know what to do and ran out of the house screaming. Neighbours saw her and threw water over her to put out the flames.
The girl ( aged 12) was taken to the nearest hospital in Gadag, but as her injuries were serious she was transferred to a larger government hospital in Hubli.
The first we heard about the incident was several days later and, as she had already been admitted into hospital and was being taken care of, there did not seem to be an urgent need to see her. Hubli is about a 6 hour drive away from “The Mango House” so we decided to visit her at the weekend as not to leave the house short staffed.
Friday morning Ali and I (Robert) set off at 4:30 in the morning and reached Hubli around 11am after a very bumpy ride. The most direct route was taken which turned out to also be the worst road we'd ever driven on. A couple of times thinking we might get stranded in the mud that replaced the tarmac for large sections of the journey..
On arriving at the hospital we met with the family and were horrified when we saw the injuries the girl had sustained and the state of her care. She was in a general ward (severe burn cases should be put in isolation wards to prevent infection), lying on sheets that were covered in blood and stains. She had no dressing on her wounds (burns should also be regularly dressed to keep infection at bay). She was in a great deal of pain but responded well to the visit. While there we made sure that clean sheets were given and she was bathed but it was obvious that we had to move her to another hospital if she was to improve.
We asked around and searched Hubli for other hospitals but there weren't any that had the specialised burn units. We returned to Goa on the Saturday night unsure how the charity could help. The only possible way was to find another hospital and move her there by road, but our experience of the roads did not fill us with hope. On the Sunday we spent the day ringing around hospitals and searching the internet (thank you to everyone who helped). There were no special burn units in Hubli, the nearest we could find was in Belgaum, 100kms away from Hubli. Due to the conditions of the road we weren’t sure if it was wise to move her, but realised that if she were to recover at all she had to be moved where better care could be given.
We finally spoke with a specialist (Dr Rajesh) from KLE hospital in Belgaum who was willing to help. Ali and I set off to Karnataka again on the Monday and met with him. He saw photos of her injuries and told us clearly and simply that she was in a critical state. She had received burns to around 70% of her body. This included the whole of her torso, up to her neck, most of one leg and part of the second. The burns were mostly deep burns on her front and less severe ones on her back. The same evening we continued onto Hubli and visited her again in hospital. We told the family of our ideas and aked if we would be willing for us to move her to a special burns unit in Belgaum for better care.
The next problem was to arrange the discharge papers. The parents said we would need to arrange permission from the hospital in Gadag (where she had been originally admitted). In the morning Rob and Ali picked up her brother and his wife and took them to Gadag (a further 100kms) to visit the hospital. It was the first time that Ali or Robert had visited their native place and we were interested to see how they lived, it was a fascinating time seeing their houses and lifestyles which are mainly agricultural, their village is surrounded by fields in every direction where they work for 20 – 30 Rs a day….
 Once we received permission to discharge her we organised the ambulance and within a couple of hours it arrived. The ambulance stood out next to the beaten up government vehicles. A doctor and nurse from KLE hospital came in the ambulance and followed us in to see the girl. They didn’t say it but you could see that they were horrified by her state.
Since our first visit she had deteriorated, with her neck being severely infected. Originally I thought the smell was from the ward itself, but the doctor said it was due to the infections.
He immediately began to prepare her for transport and took her to the ambulance. The ambulance lead us to belgaum, the journey took just 1 hour 15 minutes which was exhilarating as we drove through traffic lights and down the wrong side of roads. I would like to thank the driver for his speed and safety. We followed in the CWT van and only just managed to keep up.
On arriving at the new hospital they rushed her into Casualty where Dr Rajesh and Staff examined her. We were given in no uncertain terms that her chances of survival were minimal and we were asked if we still wanted to admit her. At this time due to severity of the burns and the infection they said she would only survive for 2 or 3 days. There was no chance we would give up on her and if they could only make her feel comfortable we felt it would be worth every penny. She was bathed and then dressed fully and taken to the “Clean Room” in the burns ward. They only allowed one family member to be with her and one family visitor, this to help reduce infection and give her a better chance of recovery.
It has now been 14 days and she has improved greatly, so we hope there is a chance for her. We will continue to support her and her family and hope we will have good news about her progress. If you would like to help, then please spend a second or two to wish her well or use the following link to donate money towards her care and our medical fund to support other emergencies like this..
Update : We have continued to visit the girl and are happy to say it has now been 22 days since she was admitted and she has improved so much. The doctors are surprised of how well she has done over the last 3 weeks. When she was admitted they could hardly find her pulse and she had an incredibly low hemoglobin count of 2.2 (the usual is between 12 and 15). Due to continued work by the staff her infections have been treated and kept at bay.
In the last week she has had an skin grafts to improve the more visible areas of skin. Thankfully her face and hands were free from burns, the neck however was severely burnt but is already looking much better. She has a further operation scheduled in the next week.
We hope that her current condition is cause for celebration as she continues to improve each day. I would like to especially thank Ali, Kate and Max who all gave donations of blood.
Medical Fund (Via CAF Website)
Toys, Books and Colours
While we were visiting the government hospital in Hubli we thought it would be nice to give a little help to the other 15 children who were in the same ward. During our second trip we took a bag full of soft toys and also enough colouring books, crayons and coloured pencils to go round. The children were a little shy to start with, but this soon changed to interest and then smiles and anticipation as we went from bed to bed with the goodies. The whole mood of the ward changed as the children played with the toys and filled in their colouring books. Thank you to everyone who donated the items, it is amazing what such a big difference a small gesture can make. We wish all the children the best and hope they have a speedy recovery.
Child assaulted while walking to the shop
One of the children who attends “The Mango House” was walking from her home to a local shop when she was attacked and dragged off the road by a local youth. Thankfully the incident was interrupted and she managed to escape when two locals heard noises as they walked past. The girl (aged 9) ran home and told her family who later went to the police to inform them of the incident .
We received a call from her family early the next morning and went down to see them, unaware of what the problem was. The family explained what had happened and that an uncle in their family had also been attacked when he had gone to the police station the previous day. They asked for our help at the police station to make sure a case was filed.
On arriving at the police station we spoke to the chief inspector, who helped make sure the case was handled well. They took the statement from the mother and then referred them onto the Goa Medical College for an examination.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped ensure the case has been dealt with properly and in the best interests of the child. A special thank you to CRG (Child Rights Goa) who helped with the legal aspects of the case. The girl has returned to school and also has been back to the Mango House and we wish her and her family well for the future.
Fever and Malaria
The monsoon this year has seen a steep increase in the number of malaria cases in our area. The heavy rains have created an ideal environment for the mosquitoes to live and breed. Most of the children have suffered from high fevers, most likely from being bitten by these small insects. Last month two of the children were diagnosed with Malaria and again this month we have had another child diagnosed with Malaria. Hopefully this will be the last.
Mosquitoes pass numerous infections, malaria probably being the most well known. Just before mosquitoes suck your blood they inject a chemical into the blood stream to allow the blood to flow more freely and it’s this injection that causes the diseases to be spread. Malaria symptoms include high temperature, so when ever the children have high temperatures we take them to be tested for malaria. In severe cases they are likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment. We would like to thank both Vrundavan Hospital and Asilo Government hospital in Mapusa for their help with the children this year.
Health Centre Injections
We have been bringing all of the children's medical details up to date, to make sure the children are well covered. We have been helping both those who come to the house and the other slum children to get all the available injections which could save their lives. The Indian government provide a good set of injections free of cost to new born babies and children. The problem is that many of the families living in the slums aren’t aware of what is available, and where to get them from. Another problem is fear of needles so many children never get immunised, We hope to highlight these facilities and help the parents to make sure their families are protected. As well as for children there are good facilities available for expectant mothers.
Over the last few weeks we have taken around 25 children for injections. We will continue to work on this and other projects to keep the families in the best health.
Rakhee Day (Raksha Bhandan)
Many Indians celebrate Raksha Bhandan, which is the Hindu celebration of siblings. The sisters give their brothers the Rakhee bands and in return the brother give them protection - 'Raksha'. It is more common nowadays to also give money or gifts to their sisters.
To celebrate the day the volunteers helped the children make colourful bands out of string and beads. The children got carried away and started making necklaces and a whole host of items.
Independence Day - Campal Children’s Park
Independence day was celebrated in Goa, as it was throughout India. For our own little celebration the children made flags and as a special treat we took them to the Campal Children’s park in Panjim. We were lucky to have a dry sunny day and the children had lots of fun playing on the swings and slides. The park has simple equipment but it was enough to keep the children thoroughly entertained for the whole day. It was a great sight to see the children having fun. The day finished with drinks and fruit. Thank you to all the volunteers who kept an eye on the children, although I think the volunteers enjoyed it just as much as the children!
Swimming Lessons
We have continued to get more of the children in to the local swimming pool for lessons. Unfortunately several of the children have also been suffering from fevers so some haven’t finished the course. We are so proud of all the children for having a go and we hope the next time we take them to the beach they will feel more confident in the water. As well as taking the older children we have also had the ‘babies’ for a couple of sessions. Hopefully we will get more often once the weather improves.
Volunteers
Over the last month we have had to say goodbye to Lisa, Harriet, Oli, Stuart, Rosie, Laura and Sophie, all of whom have volunteered during the monsoon this year. We really appreciate all of the volunteers who help during the monsoon, most realise that it rains constantly but we occasionally get one who isn't aware, which can be a bit of a shock to their system.
It's not all goodbyes though, we have welcomed Kate, Julia, Abby, Theresa, Eva and Jeroen in the last few weeks and will have another couple starting shortly.
We would like to thank all volunteers who have made our work here easier. A special thank you to all those who have helped during Robert and Shermina's break in the UK.
Indian Postal Address
We have stopped using our Post Bag address in Calangute. If you have already sent packages they should still arrive. If you would like to send parcels by post then please now send them to:
Children Walking Tall,
"The Mango House",
H.No 148/3,
Near Vrundavan Hospital,
Karaswada,
Mapusa,
Bardez,
Goa,
403 526
India.
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London, UK : A contemporary new Bar set within the heart of London, Bar Prima will play host to exclusive evenings of fund raising in conjunction with Bollyfunk, with an event hosted by Attractions Event Management on Saturday 29th September 2007.
On Friday 3rd August, Gareth Burchmore and Paul Watson arranged their first annual Charity cricket match at Ockham C.C. Paul and his partner Katrina previously travelled to Goa and saw at first hand the work Children Walking Tall was doing for the children there, and with England currently playing India in an exciting Test they knew where their first donation would be sent. The money was raised by the players match fee and friends on the day. It was a great success, with fantastic support from Ockham C.C. with even the club captain Iqbal Mohamed taking part himself and making the match a real belter. Thank you to everyone involved. 
Many children have very poor dental hygiene. For some families it is not a problem as they rarely have sugar in their diets, but some parents continually offer their children one rupee sweets that ruin their teeth. Other children eat pann, which consists of tobacco and other ingredients which are harmful for teeth and gums. We hope that we can educate the children in dental hygiene and provide assistance in getting them treated as soon as possible for the problems they have. 
