Straightening Spines, Saving Children

In 1996, fate brought together Dorje Dolma, a Nepalese girl dying of advanced scoliosis (a sideways curvature of the spine), and Jennifer Cleary, a Boulderite volunteering in Kathmandu. Dorje and her family had trekked through the mountains for a month to seek life-saving care in the Nepalese capital. Jennifer, moved by the family's hardship and spirit, threw herself into their search for help--but the required care was nowhere to be found in Nepal.

Undaunted, and with the blessing of Dorje's parents, Jennifer brought the girl to the United States and arranged life-saving operations performed by some of the world's best spinal surgeons. The successful surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation, aided by the loving care of Boulder volunteers, transformed Dorje, unleashing the life and energy that had been suppressed by her crippling condition.

Inspired by Dorje, Jennifer sought to help more Nepali children. Thus was born All Together Now International (ATNI) and its flagship project: Straight Spines - Healthy Children.

All Together Now International

ATNI is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation headquartered in Boulder. We promote international peace by creating greater economic, educational, and healthcare opportunities for disadvantaged people in some of the world's poorest regions. By supporting, advising, and monitoring local organizations that perform the services, we ensure that our models are culturally sensitive, sustainable in the long term, and replicable in other regions.

ATNI provides a unique opportunity for Coloradoans to support a local organization in helping developing countries help themselves. In addition to contributing monetarily, Coloradoans can volunteer in the ATNI office and even make site visits to ATNI partners abroad. We are developing local volunteer projects and events to provide more opportunities for meaningful involvement.

Straight Spines - Healthy Children

Spinal deformities and injuries are among the most devastating conditions a child can have, particularly in the developing world. ATNI's Straight Spines - Healthy Children project attacks the problem in two primary ways: supporting the spinal clinic at Nepal's Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children (HRDC) and enabling life-saving spinal surgeries in the United States.

In 2006, 16-year-old Ashish Gharti, the son of poor farmers in western Nepal, felt weakness in his legs. When the weakness kept getting worse his family became worried. They took him to a local hospital, which treated him for tuberculosis of the spine, but his condition continued to worsen. Finally, he was brought to the HRDC, by this time almost paralyzed below the waist. HRDC surgeons sprung into action, decompressing the spine and stabilizing it with implants. Ashish improved almost immediately. His legs strengthened and his mood brightened. "Now onwards I think, I can walk," he said with a smile. The HRDC's rapid intervention saved Ashish from paralysis.

The HRDC is Nepal's first and only pediatric spine disease program. It identifies problems during childhood and provides effective treatments. Fifty mobile clinics travel to remote parts of Nepal, and a school-screening program enables early intervention for spinal problems.

Performing spinal care in Nepal is much more cost effective than performing it in the United States, enabling many more children to be treated. And building the capacity of a local organization such as the HRDC enhances Nepal's medical self-sufficiency and sustainability.

ATNI is expanding advanced medical care to other regions of the world, with the ultimate goal of establishing additional highly capable institutions modeled after the HRDC. In 2005, we partnered with a major medical corporation and prominent U.S. orthopedic surgeons to work with Chinese orthopedic surgeons who, before this time, had not been able to achieve successful outcomes with highly complex spinal procedures.

Despite these advances in worldwide care, some life-threatening spinal diseases and deformities are so complex that treatment is best performed in the United States. We have brought five children from the Himalayan region to the United States for surgical and rehabilitation procedures. Each child has received approximately $200,000 in donated medical services as well as the care of more than 50 volunteers.

Supporting All Together Now International

You can help ATNI bring desperately needed medical care to some of the world's poorest countries. We are an all-volunteer organization, so donations to ATNI go to work directly on our projects. Because of this, and because of the strength of the U.S. dollar in developing countries, a little goes a long way. For example, the $1,000 award from YourHub.com could pay for an entire life-saving spinal surgery in Nepal or scoliosis screening at seven schools. To learn more about ATNI, including information about our other projects and how you can help, visit www.alltogether.org.