Our coordinator from Argentina, Coty, keeps in touch with several Latin American OI associations, which pass on the needs of the children. I (María, from Spain) put potential sponsors in touch with her, and she sends them information about the children. When the sponsor decides to sponsor a child, I arrange for the most convenient way to send the money with him. When the money arrives, the association informs both the sponsor about its arrival, and the child’s family about the coming treatment. When the treatment has been carried out, the association notifies us and we inform the sponsor. In addition to this communication, the sponsor and child correspond by mail or otherwise as they wish.

Sometimes treatment is no longer necessary (when the patient’s bone density has reached a level considered normal, the biphosphonate treatment is usually suspended). In those cases we’ll propose another needy child to be sponsored. If at some time a sponsor is unable or unwilling to contribute more money, we’ll look for another sponsor for the child he was sponsoring.

We still have children that need sponsors to buy medicine, to get physical therapy treatment and to purchase the equipment they need to move around. We hope to get sponsors for all of them. We have also obtained one-time donations that we’ll invest to cover the treatment needs of one child for one year.