From one parent to another, the diagnosis of a child’s sickness is very heartbreaking. While the intensity of the heartbreak is unique for each, still the feeling of helplessness and desire to help in whatever way prevails in a tug-of-war fashion.
As a children’s charitable organization in Atlanta, Georgia, we feel this struggle upon hearing the reports that some African children get sick and their parents have lesser to no access to quality health care. This lack can even more intensify the heartbreak of knowing your child is diagnosed with cancer or cognitive heart disease.
Because of this, we work towards extending help to these families through charitable donations in Georgia, sponsoring their trip and treatment here in the USA, and looking for volunteers to assist their checkup, transportation, and housing needs. We believe that simple acts like these can already bring a huge impact on the lives of both the parents and the unwell child.
With this in mind, we would like to empower every parent with the encouragement to support their fellow parents when they learn about a child’s sickness. Your support can go a long way for that family to face that struggle with more courage.
Here are some things you can do:
- Assure their parental role
Parents may be led to think that when their child gets sick, it’s their fault. Nothing can be further from the truth. No parent will desire for their children to be unwell. Illnesses just come unexpected, and parents need to know and be assured that it’s not their fault. With this comforting knowledge, they can be emboldened to seek more help and assistance, such as what we can provide in our African children’s charities in Georgia.
- Volunteer to watch the other children if any
For parents with a sick child but still has other children at home, the worry can be doubled. You can help comfort this worry by volunteering to watch for the other children even on a temporary basis. This voluntary service is also something we extend to the African families we support at Save A Child International. When a child is brought here in the country accompanied by one parent, we partner with volunteers to provide them with accommodation or transportation, among others.
- Offer or bring meals to the parents
Because of their child’s condition, a parent can be so overwhelmed by the situation that they will forget about their own necessities, including their health. It’s vital that they are reminded of this and assisted to eat. Bringing them something to eat not only reminds them that they have the support they need, but they also need to be physically strong so they can better attend to their sick child’s needs.
- Extend cash assistance
For some parents, financial constraints are real when their child is sick. Illnesses can easily deplete one’s resources. Your financial support is going to be very helpful in helping another family stand strong in this trial.
Join us in our advocacy. Ask us how.
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