CHILDSAFEfoundation

CHILDSAFEfoundation's greatest joy and biggest challenge, is to help
meet the physical, mental and emotional needs of the most
disadvantaged child survivors of war.

Children who have lost their limbs to cluster bombs and land mines.
Our goal is to help rebuild their bodies, their lives and to give them
and their families the support needed so they can resume childhood.

CHILDSAFEfoundation founder, Dr. Jacqueline Beaudoin, was moved
to create the Foundations for Life - Limb Replacement program after
seeing a 12-year-old boy in Lebanon lose both legs after chasing an
errant football onto a field.

"I kept thinking of this poor kid and it all seemed so wrong," Beaudoin
said, "when I returned to the States I spent time watching kids at the
playground and I couldn't help but think how much we take for granted
in this country."

Dr. Beaudoin says "not a day passes that I don't think of this boy and
relive that moment. One moment he was laughing and running, the
next he was flying through the air. I don't think I will ever forgot the
look of disbelief and shock on his face as he kept patting the area
where his legs should have been."

Great progress has been made to ban the use of cluster bombs,
unfortunately cluster bombs and land mines lay on the ground and
remain active long after wars have ended. They remain as silent
soldiers that can not discriminate between the footfall of an enemy
combatant and the curious touch of a child. Children were never
meant to be their victims but they are, they are the innocent victims.

What these children and their families need more than anything, is
for the world to not dismiss them as "collateral damage".

By in large these children are at the mercy of strangers. Families to
poor to put food on the table can not but arms and legs back on their
children. Instead their names are put on waitlists at limb replacement
centers. For many, their names are never ticked and they never
receive a limb.

CHILDSAFEfoundation is working to reduce the number of children on
these waitlists.

Our goal is to work with service groups, church groups, individuals,
anyone that would like to partner with us to sponsor one of the
children as they grow. These kids need new prosthetics every time
they have a growth spurt and as any parent knows, kids grow.

What is the rule of thumb for limb replacement? Every time a kid
outgrows their shoes they outgrow their prosthetics. Arms and legs
are a bit more expensive than new shoes.

"Our program is small but growing," says Dr. Beaudoin "the success of
our partnership campaign will determine how many children we can
add to the program in the upcoming years."

NOTE
Groups that would like more information about sponsoring one of
these children please contact Dr. Beaudoin at:
jbeaudoin@childsafefoundation-usa.org