Partners International Foundation, in cooperation with the Fairfield Connecticut Police Department,  Hanger Prosthetics, and Alternative Prosthetic Service is raising funds so this young woman can get the legs she needs to realize her dreams. The Fairfield Police Benevolent Association provide the Initial $305.00 to apply for the U.S. Homeland Security Parole that allowed Kenia to come to the United States. All we lack to make this dream a reality is sufficient resources for her airfare to the United States and return.
 

Kenia´s History In Her Own Words

 My name is Kenia Castro. I was born on July 1, 1981 in Bluefields city, Nicaragua. When I was 3 months of age, my mother (Stella) and I moved to Siuna city where my grandmother lived. I lived there until I was 6 years old. On December 20^th, 1987, when I was just 6 years old, a war started in three cities: Siuna, Bonanza y Rosita. In that time my mother was working at the army. I was living in Siuna with my grandmother (Stella), my grandfather (Balbino) and my uncle (George). It was 4:00 am when we listed gunfires and my grandparents got up to see what happened.

 Neighbors said that a war had started because of gold from the goldfields. So my grandfather went to find a refuge (shelter) where my grandmother, my uncle and I could be saved there while the war finished. We were in a ditch for 4 hours approximately. However according to my memorize, ants began to bite us and my grandmother told us that it was better to got away toward our house. My grandmother prepared something to drink. Suddenly that morning while we were laid over a mattress, a missile was thrown toward our home. I remember that I was thrown up through the air and my little legs were destroyed, my grandmother died. I was moved to the hospital in Managua on December 22^nd. Mom came to see me on December 24^th. I remember that the hardest thing was to be in pain every time doctors came to cure me without anesthetic. Thank God I am alive. I was in rehabilitation for 3 months. When I was exactly 7 years old, in my birthday, I had my first prosthesis legs made in Managua.

 Every 4 years approximately I had to change my prosthesis while I grow up. So I have had 4 pairs of prosthesis made in a hospital in Managua and 2 pairs more made in Leon.

 While I grow up my mother always gave me a motivation to study and became a clinical laboratorist. I finished my high school in 1998. I started the university in 1999 and I finished in 2004, I was the best student of my career (clinical lab). The director of the career told me that I could be a great teacher, so teachers began to prepare me by courses for three months in order to learn about how to teach. I need to learn more about that. In this moment, I am working as a teacher in the university in Leon (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua). I work from 8 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm everyday (Monday – Friday).

I enjoy my work. It is nice to teach other people want to learn about something that you know and help them to become professional persons. I want to get a master degree in hematology in the future.  

I always dream about having good prosthesis legs like Heather Mills prosthesis what I can wear skirt, sandals and walk like a normal person. I am 26 years old and I am trying to make me stronger in the gym. I enjoy that. 

This is a little bit of my history in a few words.

If you feel that you can help, you can do so in several ways:

1. Contact us at Partners International Foundation (partners@partners-international.org) and we'll tell you how to donate by check.

2. Follow this link to donate on line by Credit Card,  Paypal, or American Express miles.

There are very few opportunities in this world to actually see the impact your support has on another human being.  this is one of those opportunities.