indonesia eye surgery camps

The Gift of Sight

Body & Soul Ministries has completed over 7,000 cataract surgeries in Sumatra since 2005. This work is making a profound difference in the lives of thousands of Indonesians. For less than $125 you can provide the means for someone to be able to see again.

This is Rinaldi Banjor Nahor. He is an 11 year-old boy from outside the town of Dolok Sanguul, who has had cataracts since the age of one. Rinaldi's eyes are two of the 446 eyes that Caris Foundation International, in partnership with Body & Soul, completed during the week of March 20-25, 2017, in the Batak area of Northern Sumatra. Surgeons Dr. Pinto Pulungan and Dr. Jusni Saragih do a remarkable job, as does the entire medical team from Medan. We are proud to be associated with them.

Watch this short video that tells Rinaldi’s story.

The patients at our biannual eye surgery camps in Indonesia usually cover the gamut, from young to the very old, though typically we don’t see many children. At our March 2016 camp, however, the doctors operated on two young children, Lamhot age 11 and Elfrianti age 12, in Sidikalang in Northern Sumatra. They each had two cataracts and due to rapid deterioration there was a good chance they would be blind within a year. These kids were very brave souls to go through these operations at such a young age. 

Watch Lamhot’s and Elfrianti’s story below.

safe houses

The Vulnerable Rescued

There are thousands of young girls in Asia who are trafficked each year from their home country. Most of these teens are living in poverty without jobs or education. A large percentage are orphans. The governments of Asia readily admit that poor teens are subjected to trafficking. Most cannot go to school because their relatives are too poor to pay the school tuition. We find these teens living with a grandparent or relative, who are too poor to provide for their care and they are subjected to traffickers. Body & Soul Ministries works in partnership with Save Asian Souls by funding the construction of the safe houses. We plan to continue building these homes in the future thanks to your generous giving.

Watch this short video to hear their story.

disasters & Miscellaneous

Helping the Devastated

Body & Soul Ministries responds quickly and efficiently to different forms of disasters across the world. We provide food, water, and assistance for thousands of desperate people worldwide. Many people are now living happy and healthy lives despite disaster because of a quick response in their time of need. From typhoon destruction in the Philippines and open-heart surgeries in China to responding to floods in Laos and cleft lip surgeries in Guatemala, Body & Soul stands at the ready to intervene in assisting those impacted whenever and wherever we can.