This is Mikel, a nine year old living in the Ibarra area. He was born with no hands, and at the age of 2 months the doctors amputated one leg at the ankle and one at the knee.
The video shows Mikel walking for the first time in his entire life. No words are sufficient to describe this experience. Just imagine the joy his parents felt watching him walk for the first time!
HKIE was able to provide the prosthetics for his legs and a private donor will soon provide him with hands.
​Thanks to all our supporters who made this miracle available to this child and his family!

This is Kevin, with his father Julio from the Otavalo area. Yesterday Kevin had surgery in Cuenca to remove a painful tumor from his foot. Kevin attends university...studying engineering and also dances with a group.Thank you Dr. Pablo Javier Salamea Molina, Dr. Tapia, Emaus House and HKIE supporters for allowing this young man to continue his life and studies.

This is Johana, an 11 year old from the Quito area. At birth, her left leg was amputated above the knee and her right leg was amputated at the foot. She has spent her entire life in a wheelchair.
Thanks to our contact at Protetis Imbambura in Ibarra, HKIE was able to help the family purchase prostheses for both legs! Now with some physical therapy, this little girl will finally be able to walk. What a blessing to both her and her family!
A huge thank you goes out to Luis Galarza, our HKIE Salinas board member, for coordinating this effort!
Thanks to all our supporters for helping to change Johana's life in such a positive way!

This is Carolina, a beautiful 13 year old, also shown here with her family and Dr. Gustavo Ochoa.
Carolina was born with a severely pronated ankle and foot. For the first five years of her life she mostly staggered and fell while trying to walk. She then had surgery on her foot and tendons which has allowed her to walk. However, her tendon is still too short, causing her to be unable to plant her foot fully on the ground. This condition will eventually affect her hi...ps and spine without any correction.
Dr. Gustavo, a respected pediatric traumatologist and orthopedist, will set up her surgery this week. She will be in a full leg cast for a month and a partial one the second month.
Thanks to Dr. Pablo Javier Salamea Molina for setting up this appointment and to all our supporters for allowing HKIE to continue our efforts help children like Carolina.

Fundacion Rostros Felices-Cuenca
Dr Pablo Salamea Molina Medical Director for HKIE and FRF-C

This is Juan, a child brought to our attention by Rocio and Franny from the CETAP LUCY school. Juan had thrown a bottle into the fire and it had some gasoline left in it....causing 3rd degree burns on his right leg.
Rocio brought Juan and his mother to Dr. Pablo's office at Hospital del Rio to insure that his leg was healing properly. While there is still pain, Dr. Pablo stated the leg seems to be healing well. He prescribed three medications for the pain, itching a...nd healing
HKIE purchased the medications for him and we will have him in for a follow up visit to insure his leg is healing properly.

Update from HKIE. Pricilla is back home in La Entrada (near Olon on the coast}
Before she checked out of the hospital, Dr Pablo Javier Salamea Molina spent some time coaxing Pricilla to open and close her hand. As she has never before been able to do so, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to move her fingers. She and her family were thrilled to watch her fingers open and close!
Pricilla immediately looked up at Dr .Pablo and asked him: "How soon can I come back for my second... surgery?" She is one happy young lady!
She will return to Cuenca in 4 to 6 weeks for her next surgery.
helpingkidsinecuador.org
Fundacion Rostros Felices-Cuenca
Dr Pablo Salamea Molina Medical Director for HKIE and FRF-C

Update from HKIE..
Two weeks ago Anderson received his new prosthetic leg. The video shows him receiving his much needed physical therapy at the Marvin Jones School in Salinas. He will have many more PT sessions to learn how to bend his left knee so he can walk normally.
As you can imagine, Anderson and his family are very grateful that he now has his prosthetic leg which is pain free and will be able to function normally.
...
A huge thank you to all of our HKIE supporters for making this happen for Anderson.
Thank you Luis Galarza for the video.
helpingkidsinecuador.org
Fundacion Rostros Felices
Dr Pablo Javier Salamea Molina Medical Director

This is HKIE's first child that attends the the Melvin Jones School for the handicapped in La Libertad that we were able to help. Dayana will be five on Tuesday... she has two sisters and her Mother, Marjorie, pictured below. Dayana was born severely handicapped and needed leg braces and a brace for her left arm. HKIE was able to have these made and provide for her. She will continue to have therapy and hopefully will be able to walk soon with the aid of the braces and time. After receiving the braces which are inside her shoes, she was delighted with her new pair of zapatos. Her family is very poor and her mother does not work and the government no longer gives the family monthly support since three years ago. The only support that they were receiving was from Marjorie's father who is now disabled himself: he lost a toe to diabetes a few weeks ago. HKIE will continue to monitor the progress of Dayana and her family and will keep you posted. Thank all of the supporters of HKIE who made this little girl and her family extremely happy.
Thanks to the Thomas Engel Foundation for our association with you. We have witnessed your good works and hope that we can contribute to that in Ecuador. Muchas Gracious.

Maholy is an 8 year old from Paute. When she was three years old a car ran over her hand.

Our friends from church, Gary and Katy Rovetto, told us about the situation last Sunday. She is unable to use her hand and it is beginning to cause her pain. Dr Pablo Salamea examined her yesterday. Next week she will return to Hospital del Rio and Dr Pablo will do reconstructive surgery on her hand. When Maholy heard she was going to be seen by a doctor to repair her hand, her first reaction was “but Papi, what about the money?”

Maholy and her father are thrilled that thanks to our donors, after a five year wait, her hand and fingers will be repaired.