Health Emergency
Shaira Galang is a 10-year-old girl living in the community of Riverside in the Philippines. Children in Riverside suffer from malnutrition, poor quality of education, lack of spiritual discipleship, and poor social development. In addition, they have little access to medical assistance. Several years ago, Shaira grew very ill. She was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect causing heart failure. And as if receiving medical treatment was not enough of a challenge for this child to face, the necessary surgery could only be done after she received dental treatment due to possible complications. Full of fears, the family was left feeling hopeless.


Action Response
The Food for the Hungry Child Development Program was working in the community of Riverside, seeking to empower and equip the families and community to address all of the needs of the children. When the Food for the Hungry staff discovered Shaira’s grave condition, they immediately fought for her precious life. They had to find a hospital and a surgeon who would speed up the surgery for this child and the funds to cover the costs of the surgery and medications. They also had to address the fears of this little girl and care for her during this frightening time.

Team
All of the urgent intervention for Shaira was made possible through the generous contributions of people like you on the HEART team. After receiving her dental care, Shaira had her surgery on July 6th. It was successful! She has recovered well and is extremely thankful for all of the support she received. Her father said, “This is the most wonderful blessing we have received as a family.” Food for the Hungry’s country director Debbie Toribio joyfully commented, “God is truly good! To all of you, thank you so much for being part of Shaira’s life. Certainly you have made a big difference in the life of this young girl and her family.”

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