Jenelyn’s Story: Kupenda’s Partnership with CURE in The Philippines

by Cure International

A young girl pictured in a hospital bed in a yellow cast and orange shirt

Photo Credit: CURE International

Jenelyn is a 13-year-old girl who was born with clubfoot and equinus deformity. As a result, her left foot is curved in on itself, which forces her to walk on tiptoe on her right foot. Her family cannot afford to go to an orthopedic doctor since they live far from the city, and they do not have the resources to pay for transportation.

Jenelyn recalls that her peers often made fun of her because of her disability and the fact that her family had to carry her from place to place.

“I was bullied, and my classmates called me ‘crippled.’ It broke my heart. I would just cry, wipe away my tears, and pray,” Jenelyn said.

Fortunately, one day a visiting pastor came to speak at Jenelyn’s church. The pastor had recently attended CURE International’s Theology of Disability training, which is modeled after Kupenda’s Disability and Inclusion Workshop for Christian Leaders. The workshop helped the pastor learn how to understand the definitions, causes, and effective interventions for different disabilities.

Equipped with this knowledge, the pastor was able to refer Jenelyn to CURE’s hospital in Davao City and help her to access the funds she needed for hospitalization and intervention. Jenelyn and her parents are thrilled that she has been able to access this life-changing surgery and receive such loving support and care through this pastor!

To learn more about our work with community leaders like Jenelyn’s pastor,

check out our open source online library of disability trainings and tools!


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