{Compassion} Help fix Fatao's heart

My kids will never go without. I fill the grocery cart with more than enough food each week. We go to see the doctor when we are sick and get medicine from the pharmacy when necessary. They get immunizations to protect them. They're surrounded by family and friends who would help and protect and love them through any circumstance.

Doesn't every child deserve that?

That's Fatao in the picture. He's 6 years old and his parents work hard to provide for him and his siblings who all live in Burkina Faso in a home made of rocks and mud. He likes playing soccer and riding bikes. When he grows up, he wants to be a mechanic like his brother.

But he needs heart surgery and his parents need help providing it.

Fatao was registered at the local church into Compassion International's Child Sponsorship Program in December 2010. The family had known Fatao had a heart problem since he was 1, but it was after seeing a cardiologist that Fatao's ventricular septal defect was confirmed. Basically, he has a hole in his heart.

For this surgery, Fatao needs to travel to India, which increases the cost and logistics required to repair his heart. The total cost of his surgery, including passport, visa, travel, the surgery itself and follow-up care, is $23,000.

This is more than Fatao's parents can provide. And India is farther than they can go.

But you can help.

• GIVE money to help pay for Fatao's surgery.
• SEND encouragement through letters for Fatao to read while he's apart from his family. 
• FOLLOW his journey to healing. When people give financially online, they'll have a chance to write a letter.
• PRAY for Fatao, his family and the medical team.
• SPREAD the word. Compassion is using #Fatao on Twitter to help people follow along.

Consider how God wants you to be part of this journey to fix Fatao's heart. And together we'll watch God's Kingdom come near. 


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