This is 19 year old Blanca. She was born without a left eye and her parents could not afford a prosthetic eye. All her life she has worn her hair to cover the missing eye.
Thanks to the HKIE supporters and Dra Mariela Elisa Siguencia she received her temporary eye yesterday. She will "wear" it for a week. If the fit is right, Dra Siguencia will then create a new one that will match her other eye!
Thank you Dra Siguencia and all the HKIE supporters who make this possible.

The following children were operated on by our medical director Dr. Pablo Javier Salamea Molina and sponsored by HKIE
Angela age 1 1/2..cleft palate ....shown here with her mom post surgery
Ashley 2 1/2 cleft palate...shown with Dr Pablo.
Camila 4 1/2 nose
Helen 2 cleft lip...with mom post surgery
Lisette 8...webbed fingers
Joselyn 6 ....nose
Haney 7....growth on face
Again...our thanks to Fundacion Rostros Felices Guayaquil and Cuenca and The Ibarra Rotary and of course all the HKIE supporters for making these surgeries possible.

Update from Helping Kids In Ecuador (HKIE) and Fundacion Rostros Felices Cuenca (FRF-C)
We just returned from a 4 day mission to Ibarra. This was a joint venture of Patronato Provincial de Imbabura, Ibarra Rotary, Rostros Felices Cuenca and Guayaquil, HKIE and the Minister of Public Health.
The team of volunteer doctors and nurses performed 20 surgeries including cleft lip and palates, ear reconstructions and separation of webbed fingers. The first night we were greeted by the local bomberos who expedited moving the equipment into the hospital. After a long first day setting up and interviewing the first patients, the group was treated to a wonderful dinner by the Patronato and Rotary
Shown are families awaiting surgery, a young girl whose parents remembered us from 2 years ago when she had her cleft lip surgery (this time she received cleft palate surgery) a team of doctors examining an ear reconstruction and Dr Pablo with a young patient.
As you can imagine, all the families were very grateful that their children could have these life enhancing surgeries!
Thanks to all our HKIE supporters!

Three month old Corina, from Azogues, was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate.
Yesterday Dr Pablo Salamea Molina performed a successful surgery to correct her lip. A year or so from now Dr Pablo will do another surgery to close her cleft palate.
Without both of these surgeries, Corina would have problems speaking and chewing her food properly to say nothing of the social stigma she and her family would endure all of her life.
Thank to Dr Pablo, Hospital Del Rio and our loyal donors, Corina will have the opportunity to have a normal, healthy life!
As he always does, Dr Pablo waived his surgical fees and Hospital Del Rio will continue giving HKIE a significant discount. Thank you Dr Pablo andHospital Del Rio!!

Pictured is 5 year old Antony. He had surgery 6 weeks ago on his feet ( they were pointed down and in). Yesterday, he and his mom made their fourth trip from Cotacachi to Cuenca. At this time Dr Ochoa removed the casts.
and he was very pleased with the results. Antony's mom will need to stimulate his feet and gradually start teaching him to walk correctly.
Thanks to Dr. Gustavo Ochoa and our supporters, Antony will now be able to run and play with his friends and not face future problems with his hip and spine!