When Shanthi was desperate to save the life of her little girl, an Operation Blessing medical clinic was there to help.

DOOARS, India – When Shanthi looks out from her village, she sees the beauty of the Himalayan foothills teaming with wildlife and crisscrossed with bubbling rivers. Covering the verdant land is an unending patchwork of tea plantations.

But the beauty of the landscape hides a history of unrest and violence. As a result, most of the tea plantations were forced to close, leaving thousands of villagers like Shanthi and her husband out of work and hungry.

Over time, the violence abated and recently a few plantations reopened. Immediately, Shanthi and her husband set out to find work. The couple had incurred debt while unemployed and were anxious to pay it off.

But their 10-month-old baby girl, Sushmita, was constantly getting sick, so Shanthi would have to stay home from work to care for their daughter. With only her husband’s small income to live on, they could not afford to pay a doctor to examine little Sushmita.

Now that Sushmita is well again, Shanthi is able to return to the tea plantation to help her husband support their family.

Eventually, Sushmita became sick with a severe case of dysentery and Shanthi was desperate to save her baby’s life.

When she heard that Operation Blessing had come to her village to hold a free medical clinic, she immediately brought Sushmita to see the doctors.

“I cannot bear to see my baby suffer, but I am helpless,” Shanthi said with tears in her eyes.

Doctors examined Sushmita and gave her a full course of medicine at no cost, including an oral solution to rehydrate her weakened body. Staff also gave Shanthi health and hygiene training to help prevent little Sushmita from becoming sick again.

The next week, OBI staff visited Sushmita at her home and found her happy and healthy. Shanthi, now able to resume her work at the tea plantation, is grateful to the doctors who saved her child’s life.

“Thank you, Operation Blessing! You have given my child back.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

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