Jorge, 3, got burned with boiling water
Why are there so many fire accidents in Bolivia?
Bolivian rural homes do not have piped gas but rather canisters for light, heat and cooking and accidents easily happen. Household materials are incredibly flammable, there are no guidelines like in the UK so when fire does start it spreads fast and there are catastrophic results.
Why are injuries so severe and how is recovery hindered?
Immediate attention is essential when treating burns victims but for the rural Bolivian children this is not possible as they may have to travel up to three or four days, often on the bumpy, uncomfortable and slow buses to reach a hospital.
In addition rural Bolivian families on average survive on less than $2 per day and simply cannot afford the basic medicine and surgery their children need. It may take years for funds to be raised, during which the children suffer both physically and mentally, rarely seeing their parents, having no education or ever leaving the hospital grounds. Prison sentences are shorter.
One in every 200 girls (age 5-14) in developing countries suffers a disabling injury due to a fire-related burn every year. In comparison, one in every 2,000 girls in industrialized countries suffers such a disabling injury. Worldwide, more than 100,000 children die from fire and burns each year. Tens of thousands more live with the physical and psychological scars of disfigurement and permanent disability'. Source: www.interplast.org.uk