This project will provide 30 burned children with steady physiotherapy for 1 year. Burns are one of the most painful accidents that a person can suffer from; moreover they produce a physical and psychological trauma that accompanies a victim for his whole life. 70% of all of ANIQUEM's patients are minors below the age of 6 of whom 70% have had accidents with hot liquids and 20% with fire. In nearly all of the cases these children come from low income families that cannot afford proper treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that burn accidents constitute a major problem of public health that affects mainly countries of low or medium income, where more than 95% of all deaths due to burns are registered. In Peru, 90% of all burn accidents occur at home (kitchen) affecting principally kids. First aid is normally performed at state hospitals. However the actual subsequent rehabilitation of victims is left aside making ANIQUEM the only burn rehabilitation site in Peru.
ANIQUEM is a Peruvian NGO that runs entirely on donations of the private sector. Since 1999 it has provided more than 4,700 victims of burn accidents, mostly children, with the appropriate medical and psychological support free of cost. It raises awareness and informs the public about the issue in order to prevent these kind of accidents from happening. ANIQUEM also fights bullying at school, visits its patients, supports them to obtain scholarships and fosters hence their social reintegration.
Providing 30 burned Peruvian children with free, highly specialized and customized physiotherapy will give them the chance to rehabilitate physically and regain strength. Thus preventing the loss of motricity after the burn accidents that caused physical as well as mental scars. The children will also learn how to live with their impacted burned body parts. This will therefore affect their self-esteem and childhood positively and make them ambassadors of a more tolerant and equal society.
