Update: SHIV KUMAR [8], NEEDS ASSISTANCE FOR AN OPERATION

UPDATE :

We are leaving this on our site since the money he needs for an operation has not been received by us. We continue to solicit for funds for Shiv Kumar aged 8- but if we don’t receive sufficient funds by November, we will discontinue asking donors.

This particular project is NOT over : Little Shiv still needs help:

Donation Required: Rs 50,000/- for Hypospadias repair for Shivkumar [age 8]

ORIGINAL POST :

[This child’s needs were located by our staff during work in the Kashinagar slum in Bangalore]

Guruswamy is a tree cutter used by the Bangalore Municipality [BBMP] on daily contract basis. His wife, like many women from the slum, go to street corners and sell items like dishcloths,at the traffic lights. Occasionally they beg for sustenance. He and his wife and 5 children live in a hut Kashi Nagar slum. Their original home is on the border of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, though they claim their ancestors are from Maharashtra. Guruswamy has a son who has a problem which in medical terms is called: Hypospadiasis.

Hypospadias repair is surgery to correct a defect in the opening of the penis that is present at birth. The urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body) does not end at the tip of the penis. Instead, it ends on the underside of the penis. This has some repurcussions on an otherwise happy 8-year-old child [see photo: Shivkumar is in a pink shirt with his father and siblings].However it is not life-threatening. We personally took father and son to Bangalore Baptist Hospital and they have quoted Rs. 65,000/- excluding medicines- [see Hospital quotation]. They have promised to give concession once we decide if we are going ahead with the surgery. We know Guruswami cannot afford - we thought of putting it on our website in case any of our well-wishers felt they would like to contribute.

Donation Required: Rs 50,000/- for Hypospadias repair for Shivkumar