Kids First Fund: The Future of Guyana is in the Hands of its’ Children
August 27, 2008
The Kids First Fund is a not for profit, non-governmental organisation, registered as a friendly society (no.801) since 11 February 2000. Kids First’s objective is to provide funding for poor children who require emergency medical treatment, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation.
Emergency, is an umbrella term and covers things like air fares, surgery costs, medicines, consultation fees, diagnostics: CT/MRI scans, blood tests, ultrasounds, X-rays, eye tests, dispensing eye glasses, hearing tests/aids, walking aids, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and in cases of malnutrition, food and milk.
Why? There is a backlog of approximately 2000 children on the Ministry of Health waiting lists, some of which have been there for years, because of very limited funding in this sector, lack of specialists, equipment and facilities.
Since 2000, the government has injected in excess of GY$4billion dollars a year into the health sector, but when in order to access surgery, children and an accompanying adult have to be sent outside Guyana and the cost is thousands of sterling, Trinidadian or American dollars, it is not nearly enough.
What else does Kids First do? Co-ordinate teams of doctors to come to Guyana, hold clinics for children and adults, perform surgery at no cost, train local doctors, lecture to medical practitioners, advise on community awareness/educational programmes. Run an eye care programme for children who can’t afford eye examination, glasses, medicines and surgery.
KidsFirst has organised clinics in the fields of neuro-surgery, plastic surgery, neurology, general and cardiology. Over the past 2 years approximately 300 children have been evaluated by visiting cardiologists and had echocardiograms done.
We now know exactly what kind of heart problems the children have, ranging from simple PDA, (open chest surgery, 10 cases were done successfully in Guyana in 2002) to serious VSD’s & ASD’s (hole in the heart) to the most complex Tetrallogy of Fallot.
Heart surgery costs approximately $20,000 - $25,000 USD in Trinidad. ($4M-5M GYD). The average family would be unable to afford such huge sums in their lifetime much less at short notice.
In September 2005 the Kids First Heart 2 Heart Save A life Appeal was launched, with 4 children having open heart surgery. So far 46 children and 14 adults have benefited from this program. All the surgeries were successful, except for one and done by Dr KM Cherian and his team at the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, in Chennai, India.
Kids First is trying to establish similar linkages in the UK, India and Brazil with hospitals and medical schools specialising in oncology, haematology, cardiology, cancer, orthopaedic, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, burns, HIV/Aids care and emergency medicine.
Kids First has established working partnerships with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, the International Hospital for Children, in Richmond, Virginia and the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai.
Kids First is self-financing and has to do constant fundraising to pay hefty hospital bills and other related costs. In November’03 Kids First raised approximately $44,200USD in 2 weeks to help 3 children who urgently needed neurosurgery to remove tumours by hosting nationwide telethons on NTN, holding auctions and sending letters of appeal.
Most recently $21,000 USD was raised in 48 hours by charity minded citizens of Guyana, America, Canada and the UK to pay for the airfares of 10 patients who needed heart surgery.
Kids First tries to do unusual kinds of fundraising from plays and dance theatre at the Cultural Centre, to Grass track races, basket ball tournaments and is always trying to find new ways in which to entertain supporters and raise much needed cash.
The bills for leukaemia and brain tumour patients sent to Trinidad run to millions of Guyana dollars. If leukaemia and other drugs could be sourced free and the expertise brought to Guyana, this would reduce costs significantly.
Free shipping contacts have been made Mike Harrison Shipping in the
UK and Global Shipping in New York. This means anyone who wishes to support us by donating clothes, books, toys, medicines etc can do so at no cost to them.
Contact with major manufacturers of pharmaceuticals is being made with the view to obtaining either free medicines or buying at a discounted rate.
The UK and Canadian arm of Kids First has been launched, with supporting groups in the USA and the Caribbean to follow.
Kids First Fund is unique in that we have no overheads or administration costs. Therefore the Fund guarantees that every dollar raised goes totally towards helping the children.
How Can You Help? We need access to items on our wish list, both medical and non-medical resources like over the counter medicines for children and adults, clothing etc With emphasis on specialised medication for leukaemia, epilepsy, eye and ear infections, finance to fund our programmes and pay hospital bills and finally access to medical expertise, like surgeons, doctors and nurses.
Kids First Fund Head Office is located at:
5 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, Guyana, South America
Tel: (592) 226 6231 or 226 5926 Fax: (592) 226 6214
Email: kidsfirstfund@hotmail.com
Donations are payable into our Guyana bank accounts:
Please make all cheques or drafts payable to kids first fund.
Scotia Account number 39415 or The New Building Society Account Number 7332
Kids First Fund Wish List 2008
Specialised Medication:
Leukaemia: Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate, Vincristine (When needed)
Epilepsy: Phenobarbatone, Dilantin, Tegritol, Epilim, Topomax 100mg & 75mg
L-Carnitine 250 mg or 500 mg, Caltrate (pure) 600mg
Over the counter medication: Aspirin and Paracetamol & Pain relief ointments, sprays
Building up tonics and powders
Cold and flu remedies & Cough linctus (adults and children)
Antifungal & Antibiotic ointments
Skin ointments, E45 cream, Hydrocortisone
Eye / ear drops/wash, antibiotic/ anti-inflammatory drops
Multi-Vitamins tablets / chewable
General: Powdered Soya/cowsmilk
Children’s eye glasses, frames and lenses, various strengths
Contact lenses, prosthetic eyes and tools
Walking aids, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks
Books, school and leisure, story books, comics, school supplies, Toys
Clothes, summer clothes for children from ages 0-21 years old
Medical supplies: plasters, bandages, cotton wool, colostomy bags (adults &
children), nappies (children & adults) etc
Baby products: feeding bottles, powder, vaseline, cream, nappies, dummies, teats,
teething jelly/powder, push chairs
Shunts for craniotomy for children with hydrocephalus
Kids First Fund: making a difference in the lives of sick children Reg No. 801
♥KIDS FIRST FUND HEART 2 HEART – SAVE A LIFE PROGRAMME ♥
The Kids First Fund’s Heart 2 Heart Save a life programme, is in partnership with Dr KM Cherian and the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai, India.
The programme started September 2005 when 4 children, Anjani Pritipaul, Casey Clifton, Romel Hassan and Premdai Harrichand were the first beneficiaries of the Heart 2 Heart programme.
Dr Cherian followed up by holding a free evaluation clinic in Guyana during November ’05 with his colleague Dr Prem Sekar, where approximately 300 adults and children were diagnosed as having cardiac complaints.
In March ‘06 the 2nd batch of patients went; 9 children and 6 adults (adults were paid for by the Ministry of Health, NIS and some themselves) and in May ’06 the 3rd batch of 13 children and 4 adults, this trip was financed by a generous sponsor from the USA.
In March ’07 9 children and 4 adults benefited (adults were paid for by the Ministry of Health). The hospital bill came to $55,000 USD Kids First had part paid $29,000 USD and were given time to raise the $26,000 USD balance. So far 46 children and 14 adults have been helped by this program.
All the surgeries were successful, except for one and done by Dr KM Cherian and his team at the Frontier Lifeline Hospital, in Chennai, India.
Just to give you a little background on the situation in Guyana:
There is a shortage of a number of medical specialists in Guyana, in particular we have no cardiologists or cardiac surgeons. There are approximately 269 children in need of heart surgery, and time is against us.
The average cost of cardiac surgery in Trinidad (which is the nearest place doing such surgery) is $20,000 - $25,000 USD, ($4-5 million GYD) in Canada it is $60,000 CAN, in the USA its $100,000 USD and in the UK £100,000. The exchange rate of the Guyana dollar to the USD is approximately $200 GYD - $1USD.
When the average wage of the families that come to us for help is often $10,000 GYD ($50 USD) or less, per week; to run households, send children to school, pay for transportation/rent/ and put food on the table, you can understand the difficulties facing parents with sick children.
Kids First only deals with financially challenged families and without the help of the Ministry of Health, the Fund, the Private Sector and the general public, they would have no way of affording this life saving surgery by themselves.
Once the type of cardiac defect is diagnosed, the only beneficial way forward is surgical correction, which can only happen if you can pay for it before hypertension sets in.
Once a patient gets hypertension, it matters not if you have a billion USD’s at your disposal. The small window of opportunity to do anything meaningful surgery wise, would have been lost and the child will eventually die from heart failure.
The Heart 2 Heart programme offers sick children the chance to access a new lease of life free and at the fraction of the cost elsewhere to us, who have to pay for it. In India we get world class health care, at a very attractive price and no visa restrictions to access it.
We are doing constant fundraising in order to help as many children as possible before it is too late. It is expected that after timely surgery, the children can be as vivacious as their peers and lead normal lives.
Caribbean Airlines and Air India are long standing humanitarian partners renewed their commitment to the cause and the programme and granted us special rates for the air fares ,from Guyana to the UK and then to India, which are very expensive. Money saved in fares can be used to help even more children.
For $6,000 USD ( $1.2 million GYD) we can transform the lives of our children from one of ill health, pain, fear and inactivity to a normal pain-free, fearless, energetic, educated and adventurous life, just how children are supposed to be !
We need to act now and act fast so that children can access this life saving surgery and lead normal productive lives like their peers. We can not do this alone and humbly request your help.
Anyone wishing to donate to the kids first heart 2 heart appeal can do so by:
Please make all cheques or drafts payable to Kids First Fund and send them to either,
Kids First Fund Head Office:
5 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, Guyana, South America
Tel: (592) 226 6231 or 226 5926 Fax: (592) 226 6214 Email: kidsfirstfund@hotmail.com
Or in the UK :
Ms Kieran Singh
c/o Guyana High Commission, 3 Palace Court,
Bayswater Road, London W2 4LP, UK
Tel: 0207 229 7684 Fax: 0207 727 9809 Email: Kieran_74_1@hotmail.com
or Kieran Singh 07956 530 474
Or in the USA:
Mr Ishamel Gurmohamed
1751 Bussing Ave, New York 10466
Tel: 718-515-5795 or 718-325-5407
Donations are payable into our Guyana and UK bank accounts:
Guyana: Scotia Account number 39415
or The New Building Society Account Number 7332
UK: Abbey
Sort Code: 090000
Account #: 00050005
Role No./Ref No.: K7105123KID
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