Support for the mid-year appeal is helping children like Maria gain access to education.
“Maria” is 14 and is the seventh of nine children. Her parents were farmers and died while she was very young and they came from a small village in Buibau.
Maria was not born with a disability. At age three she became ill with a very high fever. She was treated at the local hospital and discharged while still unable to walk. KATILOSA staff discovered her situation nine months later. Until then, Maria was confined to her family home due to the stigma that disability brings in East Timorese culture.
KATILOSA provided rehabilitation services, a community of friends and a support network to both Maria and her family. While Maria still struggles she continues to increase her independence. She is now able to walk, bathe, dress herself and go to school. Maria is now in fifth grade and enjoys the opportunity to learn and play with her peers.
The change in Maria’s circumstances would not have been possible without the crucial work of KATILOSA and the support of Australian donors. Maria and her family are forever grateful.
To help KATILOSA continue to support children like Maria visit: https://bit.ly/2PNGplU