This holiday season, one of our wishes for you is HOPE. A life lived and led by hope.
And that is our wish for every single person in the 25 vulnerable communities we serve in Nicaragua, including Yosai, a one-year-old baby boy living in El Bambu, one of the most remote communities in the South Caribbean Coast Region.
A few months ago, Yosai started to get sick. At first, his mom thought it was just a cold; however, on the third day his condition worsened over a few hours.
It was late at night and raining. Yosai was burning with fever and he was having trouble breathing. His mom cried as she thought her beloved baby wouldn’t make it through the night.
She was scared because the dirt road to El Bambu was damaged due to heavy rains her community experienced this year and the buses stopped coming. This means there was no public transportation to get in or out of the community. For those who can afford it, motorcycle drivers charge around $20 to transport people to the nearest town, but not at night or under heavy rain. This can be the equivalent of a week’s worth of food for a family.
Yosai’s mom knew their only hope was José Gómez, AMOS-trained Health Promoter. She called Jose over the phone, explained the child’s condition, and urged him to come. Jose took his medical supplies, some medicines, a lamp, and rushed to Yosai’s house.
It was a difficult walk to do at night, but José knew Yosai needed help. He was determined to find a way to help Yosai survive.
“When I examined Yosai, his symptoms indicated he had pneumonia. I told the mom she needed to take him to the health center, but the mom begged me to help him. She didn’t have a way to take him to town that night or the following day, and no vehicle could get to the community because of the damage to the road. I treated Yosai with medicines according to my trainings with AMOS and I also used a nebulizer we bought with funds from the community.” ~José, Health Promoter in El Bambu.
José kept visiting Yosai over the next couple of days to apply the medications and follow-up with him. On the third day, Yosai was already much better, and eventually made a full recovery.
Yosai’s mom was truly grateful. On her darkest night, her prayers had been answered when José found a way to bring hope to her and her family.
It is thanks to your support that we are able to care for sick children like Yosai. But there are thousands of families who still need help. AMOS depends on the generosity of people like you to make this possible!
Your donation will help us find ways to bring health and hope to families like Yosai’s.