Eating what scraps you can provide for your family. This may equate to 1 meal a day , 3 meals a day or maybe even skipping a day, or two, in between meals. Most of the meals that you can provide consist of rice. This means that your children are feed mainly carbohydrates and lack the protein that meats can provide. Milk and vegetables are a rare treat so providing the key nutrients for building healthy bones and muscles is out of the question.

Coupling all this with the only supply of water you have for cooking, bathing, cleaning and even drinking is a polluted river contaminated with sewer water it is not uncommon to watch one or more of your children slowly die of malnutrition and dehydration from simple diarrhea. This is what these families, these children, are faced with every single day.

This is what Skip and I saw when we were in Jakarta and we knew we needed to help. We realized the solution was simple. First we needed to set up a medical account which “Jane” could access to buy simple medications like diarrhea medication, lice medicine and ear drops for infections. Second we needed to connect with a place where she could get these items and third continue to replenish the medical account so she could continue to provide these items to the Children under the Bridge. Lastly, establish a way to supply these children and their families with “clean drinking” water.

While in Jakarta Skip and I were able to supply the initial monies to set up the medical account. We were also blessed in finding a local pharmacist to help with supplying the needed medicine. We are now at the point where we are in need of helping to keep the medical account funded and set up a system of supplying clean drinking water to the children.

The medical account we estimate will cost approximately $500 per month to care for the over 225 children that are currently involved in children under the bridge.

Additionally we need help with setting up clean water delivery to the children. It will cost about $3.75 for a 5 gallon container. To refill this container it will cost $1.25. So looking at supplying a family of 4 with enough water for a week it will cost $6.25 cents a week or $25 a month.

Along with all the medical care is also valuable education given to the children and families. Preventative education on oral hygiene, hair care, and overall personal hygiene care . The pharmacist who we partnered with provides this all for free.

Please understand we are not asking for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. All we are asking for is a monthly commitment for at least a year of a few dollars. 

MEDICAL CASE STUDY

Taken from recent updates that “Jane” sent to us, here are some direct quotes and pictures of what just a few dollars can do.  (As “Jane” would say, “please excuse my English; it is not very good.”)