Kasih URGENTLY needs our help

... a beautiful little girl, with a  terrible cleft palate deformity that may soon take her life ... 

unless we help

(Kasih translates in English to

"Love")

	Kasih Talaba, 11 months old is from family in the tiny town of Kira Indonesia. She is a beautiful little girl about to turn one year old ... She should be smiling and playing and loved by all!
Kasih's beautiful smile: cuddles with her Mum!

But she isn't... because Kasih is destined to a short life and no future - when (not if) the severity of her cleft palate causes her to catch pneumonia or an infection that in her poverty stricken world, will kill her.  

Kasih (pronounced "ca-see") has a severe cleft palate (a Tessier Cleft) deformity

Tessier Clefts are a more serious form of clefting.  A Tessier cleft can also be called a “cleft face”.  They are very rare and can involve the nose and eyes as well as the mouth and palate.

We have decided to take massive action by doing an online fundraiser over the next weeks, using all of our resources to raise the funds for Kasih's lifesaving surgery in Australia.  You're invited to join us. 

See how below!

Help Kasih Now, Donate Here

What's instore for Kasih...

A Surgeon has been found!

Professor David David of Adelaide Hospital has agreed to do the surgery!   Please read more below.

Meeting Kasih  in Indonesia  In 2008 we travelled to Bless Indonesia Medical Clinic in the remote island region of Halmahera Indonesia. Kasih's parents Asri and Nurlaila travelled that same week to the clinic, hoping for a miracle....

Our hearts were touched - Kasih deserves to smile and laugh, to learn to talk and play with others.  Could we help her out?  We decided  YES... so we are going to go all out, asking everyone we know to help. There is NO profit, every dollar will go to Kasih and the Medical Clinic, through Kasih's PayPal account. We just want to raise at least $15 thousand dollars so that Professor David and his team can save this little girl from a painful and sadly shortened life.

Bless Indonesia Medical Clinic

... Australians Peter and Esther run a medical clinic providing free life saving medical care on Kasih's home island ... but they cannot save Kasih alone ... They need YOUR HELP...

YBI (Bless Indonesia Medical Clinic)  - Director Esther with her team This team saves lives - patients travel for hours to receive free quality care that they cannot afford from the local hospital.... YBI truly do change and save lives, help them work with us to save Kasih's life.

From L-R: YBI Clinic, Kusuri;  Nicole at Clinic;  Lisa with Clinic Staff

Help Kasih Now, Donate Here

Who has answered our call for HELP?

Kasih will need extensive surgery over several operations.  Her time in Adelaide will be one of the most stressful times for her family in their lives - travelling from a remote third world village all the way to Adelaide... and then facing the stressors and anxiety of the long surgical path ahead....

We have spent the last three months looking for a medical team able to do the surgery that Kasih needs.  Amazingly Professor David David of the Cranio Facial Unit at Adelaide Hospital has offered his team to do the surgery - paid for by the Hospital and the South Australian Government!.... BUT we need to get Kasih to Adelaide Hospital.

Together we need to raise the funds to get Kasih to Adelaide:

1) SURGERY and ANAESTHETICS: Adelaide Hospital in association with the South Australian Government have generously agreed to be our principal partner to fund the surgical costs - thankyou Professor David!

2) ACCOMMODATION and MEALS: The hospital will cover the surgery, but accommodation and meal costs in and out of hospital need to be raised.  Kasih and her Mum may need to stay in Adelaide for several months.

3) AIRFARES and TRAVEL EXPENSES: It's a long trip from Kusuri to Adelaide....  a four hour minibus trip followed by two hours on a boat, a taxi ride to the airport, and then two flights to Jakarta... Jakarta to Sydney and then onward to Adelaide.  This will be a HUGE trip for little Kasih and her parent... 

4) OTHER EXPENSES:these are numerous:  You can't get Visas and passports in Duma - Kasih and her family will need to make the four day round trip to Jakarta just to apply to come to Adelaide! 

Then there are passport costs, airport taxes, basic living expenses, nappies!!, and every other everyday thing that a family might need when away from home - remember, Kasih's family will have none of the things we take for granted - maybe not even a suitcase...

To achieve the above - to TAKE ACTION means...

• Little Kasih Talama will have a chance at life.
• A family's grief will be held at bay - and a community's hope will be realised in Kasih's future  BECAUSE ...
• YOU WILL HAVE PLAYED A PART, and MADE AN AMAZING DIFFERENCE in a little girl's world, in a family, in a community
  

You can help!

 ... be part of Kasih's miracle story, her chance at life ...

Every Dollar Counts

PayPal, - The safe, secure way to donate online

Some facts about Cleft Palate

What is a cleft palate? A cleft lip and/or palate is a separation of the parts or segments of the lip or roof of the mouth, which are usually joined together during the early weeks in the development of an unborn child. A cleft lip is a separation of the two sides of the lip and often includes the bones of the maxilla and/or the upper gum. A cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth and can vary in severity. A cleft palate occurs when the two sides of the palate do not fuse as the unborn baby develops. (Operation Restore Hope, website). Kasih has a Tessier Cleft. Tessier Clefts are a more significant form of clefting.  A Tessier cleft can also be called a “cleft face”.  They are very rare and they involve soft tissue other than the lip and palate, and they involved bony structures.  Will You Help Us? Yes, let's see Kasih smile! Facts about Cleft Palate in the Third World: Fact:  World-wide, clefts appear 1/700 births.  Among Asian peoples, the rate of clefting is one in five hundred births (Ref:  www.widesmiles.org) Fact: severe cleft deformities leave third world children without hope, without surgery in many cases and with a shortened lifespan Fact: very few third world children receive access to care unless we care Fact:  most babies born with a cleft palate will be unable to nurse at the breast, imagine the cost to a poor Indonesian family to buy good quality baby formula Fact:  children with cleft experience psychological issues if they endure a lot of teasing and ostracism from their peers Fact:  cleft deformities can prevent children learning to speak or talk properly without significant intervention and speech pathology help Will You Help Bring Back One Little Girl's Smile? Facts about Cleft Palate in the First World: Fact: surgical intervention and support in the First World can start before the baby is born Fact: Children are supported surgically from their first weeks to restore their palates and hope for the future Fact: special feeding bottles are available to formula feed babies with cleft deformities Fact: good medical care supports the children when they are at risk from increased infection and illness Fact: Kasih does not live in the First World - without our help she will have none of these resources.  She probably wont live to celebrate her 4th birthday, to start school, or any of the other things our children take for granted Lastly and Most Importantly:  You Can Help Kasih. Kasih need not live without hope or a future.   Cross the oceans with us to reach out and save this little girl. Bring Kasih to Adelaide, Donate Now We very much look forward to partnering with you to walk beside Kasih on this amazing journey.  Please stay in touch with us, Journey with Kasih - checkin at www.KasihsJourney.com to watch her story unfold .... See what we will achieve together. Blessings,    Lisa                                                   Nicole Lisa Robinson                                       Dr Nicole Anderson April 2008    PayPal - The safe, secure way to donate online