Burn Clinic

We spent the month of July volunteering in Cochabamba. Jean worked at a new clinic for children with burns. The children are brought from distant pueblos to the hospitals here where, after treatment, they they were released to their hometowns. But they cannot get the therapy they need in the small pueblos leaving them severely restricted in movement.







The Franciscans have remodled one half of the historic San Francisco convent still used by the Carmelites sisters. The sisters donated it for a social center - soup kitchen, medical and dental clinics, AA meeting space - and a burn clinic where these children stay and receive therapy.







Their parents must return home, of course. Often they are 8 hours away by bus, but they visit when they can.




Lee's former workplace, Zink Inc., donated a product that has closed some of the distance between children and papas. Zink has released a small inkless printer which instantly processes digital photos in the field somewhat like the old Polaroids.* (See Lee's hand.)

When parents visited we were able to give them and the child an immediate photo to help bridge the expanse of time between visits.

Somewhat to our surprise the children were eager to have their own photos also. The photos seemed to help them begin to come to terms with the new stranger's face in the mirror.

Jean also worked at a home for street boys. Here she is mending clothes. The kids ran to bring favorite pants and shirts - more in tatters than whole.

*The Zink (Zero-ink) products just coming on the market utilize a new photo paper which contains layers of color crystals. As the paper passes through the heated print-head crystals melt then "freeze" to their characteristic colors. US suppliers like Best Buy sell the Poloroid Pogo for about $150. Prints cost about 20 cents. A camera with built-in printer is about to be released also.