Program areas at Love Without Boundaries Foundation
MEDICAL:Our commitment to helping children who otherwise would go without health care remained strong in 2022, changing lives in China, India, Guatemala, Cambodia, and Uganda. We provided 1188 medical procedures, including 122 cleft operations and 96 life-saving heart surgeries. One major highlight of the year was our first cleft surgery mission in Antigua, Guatemala, which took place in early December. Many of the children who came to see our medical team were from rural Mayan villages, located far up in the mountains. Their families traveled by foot, boat, and day-long bus rides in search of the essential operations their children needed.
FOSTER CARE:Because all children should grow up in families versus institutions, we continued our transformative family-based care programs in 2022, including our Safe Haven program for children who have been trafficked or severely abused. This year, 226 children were part of LWB foster care. Some special highlights from the year included the expansion of foster care to the Iganga region of Uganda, holding an international foster care conference in September, and training over 400 foster parents and officials on the importance of high-quality, family-based care.
EDUCATION:All children, regardless of circumstance, deserve the opportunity to receive an education. LWB equips children for a brighter future in every country where we work, including our nationally recognized Believe in Me schools in rural Cambodia and our new education centers in Guatemala and India. In total, 1319 students were enrolled in LWBs ongoing school programs in 2022, while an additional 3840 children received educational support through the distribution of new books and computers to underserved schools.