By Joan Townsend | Executive Director, Retrak America
Last October, twenty eight Retrak children and two adults were hit by a speeding car while on their way to play soccer. Ten of the children were seriously injured, four of them critically. Six weeks on, we're pleased to report that all the children have now been discharged from the hospital and are back at our center recovering.
Eight of the children have ongoing appointments with doctors to review their progress and we are pleased to report that seven of them are progressing well.
One child, 8, who sustained a head injury, is making slow but positive progress and may well need further surgery.
The most seriously injured is a 7 year old boy whose leg could not be saved and was amputated above the knee. He was the last to leave the hospital and is now receiving care and support from our staff, and his friends, at our center.
The Retrak Uganda staff have worked tirelessly to care for all of the children involved in the incident, and have been an incredible support throughout challenging circumstances. To help both our young people and staff overcome psychological trauma from the accident, a psychologist is conducting individual sessions with everyone affected and is developing a long-term recovery plans for each individual.
The young boy who lost his leg will be fitted with a prosthetic limb – an incredibly rare occurrence for a homeless child – and we are so very grateful to everyone who helped give him the best possible start to his recovery. He said: “I thank God for sparing my life because I am still alive and everyone who has endeavoured to help me to cope with the situation”.
Another boy who was injured says: “I thought my life was not going to come back to normal, when I recall the time seeing myself in a pool of blood laying on the ground helplessly. But I thank God for the support, time, love and care that the organization showed us, and doctors running up and down trying to save our lives. It put a smile on my face.”
It is only through the generosity of supporters like you that Retrak is able to care for these children, pay their medical bills and hire a psychologist to deal with the ongoing effects of this trauma. This #GivingTuesday, please make a donation to Retrak as we continue to provide long-term medical and psychological support to these homeless children.
Thank you.
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