By Pam Amundsen | Project Leader
At 4:30pm, Baby Nehemiah arrived at one of our homes, accompanied by a New Life nurse, social worker, and driver. He had been referred by a local hospital via the police; he was rescued by police after being discovered in a waste bin. While in the hospital, Nehemiah was examined by a nurse who found that he had wounds on his back, apparently inflicted by ants in the area where he was abandoned. He was given a saline bath on arrival and antiseptic cream was applied to the scars. This sweet boy was carefully fed by nasogastric tube and placed in an incubator due to low birth weight. Our doctor ordered a course of prophylactic intravenous antibiotics and daily baths for him.
Every week in New Life homes throughout Kenya, infants arrive from a variety of places, from front stoops and local hospitals, to mothers who choose adoption. But in cases of abandonment, exposure to the elements can mean the difference between life and death. We're grateful that with your help, babies like Nehemiah are pulled from the refuse and offered the opportunity to feel safe and loved. After many days in our care, Nehemiah is now doing wonderfully; he is an adorable and alert baby boy.
But New Life Home Trust staff could not offer life-saving care to babies like Nehemiah without constant access to a clean water supply. Though we've been working to install an updated system for over a year in our Nairobi home, the need is now more urgent than ever. Construction projects in the capital are shrinking groundwater levels to an unprecedented low and making water insecurity an ever more present issue. During her time as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, actress Audrey Hepburn pointed out the simplicity of the need stating: "Water is life, and clean water means health." For these infants, clean water truly is life.
Next month, GlobalGiving is hosting a Bonus Day and, as a Superstar organization, we're eligible for a 50% match! The GlobalGiving Bonus Day will be from 9:00AM EDT to 11:59PM EDT on Wednesday, July 12th. Our hope is to raise the remaining funds needed to install the water tanks in our Nairobi home - around $4,000.
Here are ways you can help us reach our goal:
If you’d like more information on how to get involved, email us at news@newlifehometrust.org. Thank you for your committed support that supports our work of rescuing abandoned Kenyan infants like Nehemiah and providing life-saving care for them both today and for the future. Join us for Bonus Day on July 12th and make a impact that will endure!
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