Assaria, nine years old, must have surgery quickly for severe burns to her legs & lower back.

A bottle full of fuel (gasoline) fell into the house fire. At the time of the accident, he was wearing only nylon clothing and was burned. For several months, he has been suffering from serious complications that put his future and life in danger.

Assaria, 9, comes from an area where the Fair Future and Kawan Baik foundations have been working for more than three years. Eighteen months ago, Assa suffered terrifying 3rd-degree burns to both legs, buttocks and lower back with gasoline.

Assa only received primary care here in Waingapu, East Sumba, as nothing exists to treat this type of serious injury. He should have received skin grafts long before. But now things are like that. He received no special care.

We know Assa because he is a child from Mbinudita, a pupil of the school we built here on the highest hill in the village. Alerted, Fair Future also provided him care in the context of his town, bandages, and antibiotic treatments because there is not enough water to wash, or you have to walk very far to fetch a few litres of water.

Here in this area, wounds become infected quickly, especially when the scars are from 3rd-degree burns.

Assa must be operated on quickly for severe burns to her legs and lower back. Currently, he walks with difficulty because the skin is no longer elastic. She retracts with the burns. This makes his legs unable to bend, and his skin is rock-hard. The big problem is that Assa is only nine years old (8 years old at the time of the facts) and that he is growing; it will increase!

The consequences can be disastrous if Assaria does not undergo adequate surgical treatment in a suitable care centre.

How is Assa’s health, and what will it be tomorrow?

He suffers from a loss of sensitivity and blood circulation disorders, which prevent healing wounds that are already 18 months old! This deterioration in his physical and mobile condition can only worsen with growth and complications. This can go as far as a possible amputation. But before that, a total impossibility to mobilize, or at the cost of excruciating pain. And not being able to mobilize here is the end of everything. Assa is now alone with his mother and father. He can no longer walk to school. It is also impossible to help his family to fetch water. Play with his friends? He watches them play with envy, sitting on a pebble. He participates with voice and laughter!

Assa would really like to have an operation.

He likes the idea and is willing to do whatever it takes. We explained to him that it would take a long time and that he would also have to leave his village for long weeks. His parents do not have insurance or the basic one in Indonesia (BPJS), which does not cover any hospitalization costs for such a surgical operation.

The region here is economically impoverished.

The inhabitants of this very rural area of East Sumba are all farmers and consume the fruits of their harvest. The houses have no access to electricity or clean water (this is changing thanks to Fair Future) and it isn’t easy to eat because there is not enough for everyone. Showering once a week is typical for villagers and other rural dwellers in East Sumba.

Together we can do it for him. Okay?
Rumah Kambera, the 02.02.2023 – Alex Wettstein Fair Future Foundation

This campaign is important and vital for Assaria. We do not know to date how much we must have to finance such a surgical operation for this 9-year-old kid. He will have to travel outside the island of Sumba, and also take care of his dad and/or his mom. Only 9 years ago. We are appealing here to doctors, to specialists in burn surgery, to sponsors who would agree to finance such an operation. It’s about the future, about the life of this kid from the hills of East Sumba.