Updated: 2/02/07
Host families urgently needed
to care for Indonesian burn victims
By Jenny Pope
Buckner International
HOUSTON—Two host families are needed to care for Indonesian burn victims Ralita, 18, and Asima, 13, when they receive medical treatments at the Shriner’s Hospital burn unit in Galveston, beginning in March.
The girls will undergo extensive reconstructive surgery and will need to travel to Galveston up to twice each week for physical therapy.
| Two host families are needed to care for Indonesian burn victims Ralita, 18, and Asima, 13, as they receive medical treatments at the Shriner’s Hospital burn unit in Galveston, Texas beginning in March. |
Buckner Children and Family Services will help financially and emotionally support the host families throughout the girls’ six-month and 12-month stays.
“We really need to find a family with a sense of calling that sees this as a ministry opportunity,” said Greg Eubanks, executive director of Buckner Children and Family Services in Southeast Texas.
“Buckner is committed to supporting these families, but we need to find families in the Houston/Galveston area who are committed to loving these girls.”
Because Ralita and Asima’s treatments are so significant, there needs to be at least one member of the family who is available throughout the day to provide for their needs, Eubanks said.
Ralita, who comes from an indigenous farming family in the mountains of Indonesia, received extensive burn damage on her torso after an earthquake caused an oil lamp to fall on her during her sleep. She was only 7 years old.
Ralita will receive at least three reconstructive surgeries, each requiring a seven-day hospital stay. She also will require weekly physical therapy.
Asima received burns on both legs and feet at the age of 6 months when she was placed near an open-flame cook stove which caught her clothes and blankets on fire.
Asima will receive reconstructive surgery on her right leg and foot, and she will be fitted for a prosthetic for her left leg and foot. She, too, will require weekly physical therapy, Eubanks said.
“In addition to finding families for these girls, we’re looking for people who want to support them in other ways, too,” Eubanks added.
“Maybe you aren’t the right family to host Ralita or Asima, but you would like to support them financially or provide respite for their host families on the weekends. We need all kinds of support.”
For more information, contact Buckner in Beaumont at (409) 866-0976 or email geubanks@buckner.org
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