Eleven year old Nyoman Pakeh was found 2 months ago riding on the back of her father. For some years, he has been using her birth defects as a source of begging for the family income. Nyoman is thin, has congenital club feet, one of which is black with a large open sore because she has had to walk on it for years. She also has a large birth defect mass (spina bifida) on her lower back (about 15cm). With the help of two Italian Bali residents, the police located them and took her to the public hospital, but while the doctors were looking the other way, the father took her away back to begging. This week (Jan. 8, 2010), Putu recognized the father and child begging in Kuta. She called the police (women and children police), and they took the child and her parents to the hospital again. Doctors in the emergency dept. recommended the child be in protective custody, and receive extensive evaluation of her problems. The police required the child be sent to YKPA for protection while she gets care, threatening the parents with jail if they take here away. The child and parent(s) have been staying at YKPA in a private bedroom with meals provided. Every day, Putu, Michael, the child and parent(s) spend many hours at the hospital where Nyoman is just beginning to be evaluated by multiple specialties (Orthopedics, Urology, Neurology, Surgery) for the defects, and anemia, hourly urination, and probably osteopmylitis in her foot. She is undergoing laboratory and imaging studies. Nyoman will require multiple surgery’s. This child is totally illiterate, as are her parents. She has never attended school, never seen a doctor and never had immunizations. Her diet had consisted mostly of rice. Over the first week in the Yayasan, she has spent 98% of the time with her father, not talking with other children. The parents mostly talk with her secretly. She is slowly starting to smile and talk. Only slowly are we learning about her past. The family originally comes from a very poor area of Bali, the same area where the street children at the orphanage come from. When the father was asked what kind of work he can do, he responded matter-of-factly with “I use my child for begging”. He is a security risk for taking her away, and must be watched. The entire family will need support to learn a new life. YKPA needs help affording her care, already over $100 USD. The cost of the tests and surgeries is not know yet, but will easily be over $2000 USD. Anyone who can help, please contact Putu. Thank you! Putu Etiartini, Founder - Yayasan Kasih Peduli Anak - www.ykpa.org - care4child@ykpa.org - +62 (0)8192 55499

We have added little Nyoman to our "Sponsor Me" program and would be happy if the help for this child would go beyond what Putu from YKPA is asking. We like to find someone who will sponsor her operations, healing and education in the future. Please contact us if you want to help, even as a volontaire to bring the girl to the doctor ect.