Roteang Orphanage
(as of
August, 2001)
 | Ten-month-old Song Tola will undergo heart surgery in Phnom Penh, the only chance she has to survive the next few months. |
Ten-month-old
Song Tola, one of the orphans now at Roteang, was born with patent ductus arteriosus,
a heart condition that prevents normal circulation. In the United States the condition
would be corrected just after birth, but in Cambodia, that's not the case. Without
surgery, this little girl won't see her first birthday, and that's why we've decided
to pay for the $2,000 operation.
Song
Tola will undergo the procedure later this month at the new Cardiac Care Centre
established in Phnom Penh by Calumet Hospital, if surgeons there decide the risk
is acceptable. Last year we helped arrange for a series of operations by Dr. Daniel
Ryan at Massachusetts General Hospital that gave little Srey Mom the chance for
a healthy childhood. Srey Mom has since
been adopted. Song Tola's serious condition, however, keeps her from flying to
the United States for medical care, and while there's certainly no guarantee of
success for this child, the procedure offers the only hope she has.
 | TSF Vice President Dave Boardman shares a moment with Chuy Sophoen, a 17-month old baby at Roteang. This little boy will have a difficult time finding a family, since his severe, chronic dermatitis may make him less appealing to most prospective parents. For information on Sophoen, contact Nancy Hendrie, M.D., at (207)-442-7612 or by email nhendrie@aol.com |
Roteang Orphanage will always be home to a number of children whose medical conditions will make it impossible for them to find families. More than a third of the population is in that category. About half those children have HIV/AIDS, a segment expected to increase as Cambodia sees a continued climb in the disease. Others have TB, heart problems, and one child is on a feeding tube. We have started immunizing all children who cannot be adopted against Hepatitis B, a blood-borne pathogen responsible for a 300 percent increased risk of liver cancer and other serious complications. The three-shot series will cost the foundation about $45 per child, but will eliminate one further life-threatening problem these children might otherwise face.
| Three-year-old Say Tha is a happy, energetic little boy who lives at Roteang Orphanage, and needs a loving family. He has a drooping eyelid, but his eye appears normal. For information on adopting Say Tha, contact Nancy Hendrie, M.D., at (207)-442-7612 or by email at nhendrie@aol.com |  |
Donations
for Roteang, and all of our projects, come from across the United States and Canada.
For instance, construction of Roteang Orphanage's new kitchen received nearly
full sponsorship from Trinity Lutheran Church of Princeton, Minn., with the help
of Krissie Mason and Sandy Powers, who organized a recent fund drive there. The
Sharing Foundation has expanded as the needs have become clear, and the opportunities
to help have arisen.
The new Roteang Orphanage can care for up to 65 children,
many destined for homes in the United States, but the village projects are having
a positive effect on hundreds of children who will grow up and stay in Cambodia.
Our focus has widened, but our core mission has stayed the same.