Jean says "thank you!"

Supporters like you helped a Rwandan boy receive life-changing surgery...

To meet 9-year-old Jean de Amour is to experience gratitude through a child’s point of view.
His big, soul-searching eyes seem to peer straight into your heart. Though he’s shy and doesn’t know what to make of his American visitors, you can easily see the hope shining within him. He knows his entire life is about change.

It’s a happy scene, but Jean’s story doesn’t begin here. Before he could even dream of walking normally, Jean needed a miracle.

His Community Believed He Was Cursed
Jean was born with two clubfeet in a village outside Kigali, Rwanda. His community saw the disability as a curse and shunned him. No one wanted to talk to the boy with the oddly shaped feet.

Jean is completely dependent on his family – particularly his father – to care for him. 
“Jean would have no future if something happened to me,” Jean’s father, Eric, told us.

Jean’s fate changed when a team from Global Health Initiatives met him. 

“He speaks very little and avoids eye contact,” said Greg Hodgson, Director of Global Health Initiatives. “He’s ashamed of his clubfeet and is uncomfortable with others staring at him.”

Jean’s case is severe. He requires surgery on both feet and six months of rehabilitation at the hospital. He needed a sponsor to provide for the surgery, room and meals, and schooling. It was a tall order to be sure.

But no challenge is too big for generous supporters like you. Soon after he met with the team from Global Health Initiatives he received the best news of his life – his surgery and recovery were fully funded.

My Son Has a Future!
Jean’s dad knew that his son was slowly isolating himself from his friends and family. It was heartbreaking to watch. 

“I want him to be the happy child he was before he realized his clubfoot made him different,” Eric said. 

In a few weeks, he will travel with Jean to the pediatric hospital for his son’s surgery. “Soon Jean can return to school and fulfill his dreams of becoming a doctor,” Eric said. “My son has a future!”

You Reach the World
Jean’s corrective surgery is a new beginning that you made possible. He’ll go back to his community freed from shame and isolation. He’ll know that donors like you made his future possible. 

By supporting GHI, you’re providing world-class medical treatment for children like Jean – children who would otherwise have no options.

So, when Jean says “thank you,” we couldn’t agree more.