By Mariel Williams
SIM Malawi Communications Coordinator
Beit Cure, a hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, offers free orthopaedic surgery to Malawian children. For the past few months, Kaitlyn Reimer, a short-term associate with SIM Malawi, has been visiting the hospital to bring a few moments of joy and the love of Jesus to the young patients.
'I do a song or a story, and then play games and colour with them,' said Kaitlyn. For children patiently waiting for treatment, it doesn’t take much to shine a light in their lives.
Kaitlyn has been involved in children’s ministry in other settings, including work with schoolchildren through Child Evangelism Fellowship. But service to young ones hoping to be freed from disabilities brings children’s ministry to a whole new level.
'It had a different meaning behind it—it was lifting up the kids and helping them feel normal, because in their culture, they’re seen as abnormal,' she commented. The fact that Kaitlyn did not give the children funny looks or call them names helped her to build relationships with them.
The children suffer from a variety of conditions. Many have cleft palates or club feet. Some have more unusual congenital difficulties, such as a foot turned backwards or six fingers. Some children have no hands, and some can’t walk. So most of Cure’s work is reconstructive surgery.
While not a children’s hospital per se, Beit Cure is best known for its work with children, because their treatment is free. The hospital does treat adults, but they must pay.
Some patients just need surgery and a brief period of recuperation, but others require longer periods of treatment. This can be quite difficult for young children who miss seeing their parents every day.
'I’ve seen a person with a leg completely backwards, and then watched the slow process of trying to turn that leg forward,' said Kaitlyn, who focuses her attention on making children feel comfortable and loved.
'Some of the children are really easy to play with, because they just have minor problems,' she explained. 'With others, the disabilities are more severe and I have to make more of an effort to just act normal.'
