CALO for Khosi
Donation protected
Khosi was born in Maseru, Lesotho in 2006. He was found on the king’s birthday and named Khosi which means "king" in Sesotho. He was immediately placed in an orphanage. He only left the orphanage twice: first to get his passport, and a second (and last) time when I took him home. He was just 3 years old.
Everything was new to Khosi. From the moment I picked him up he was absorbing everything. When he saw a television for the first time, he cautiously placed his fingers on the screen to understand what he was seeing. He touched flowers on our walks. He picked up fallen leaves to examine them. He was excited (and terrified) to see the animals when we visited a wildlife park -- the giraffes were his favorite.
After getting home and settling in with his three "new" older siblings, we were seeing two sides of Khosi -- one was very grateful, curious and joyful, and the other was aggressive, impulsive and angry. Understanding the huge adjustment not just to our culture but to a family, we gave him time and space.
Over the last 8 years, Khosi has worked hard to conquer many of his demons. He has an attachment disorder which is a direct result of living his first three years of life in an orphanage in one of the poorest countries in the world. He had a massive infection of parasites that actually stunted his growth at 18 months old and caused permanent damage to his gut. Khosi currently requires a special diet. We have seen attachment therapists who have helped us deal with many of the issues, and he underwent neurotherapy -- a type of alternative biofeedback therapy that uses realtime displays of electroencephalography (EEG) to illustrate brain activity. Khosi has made progress since left Lesotho 8 years ago, but this past October he had a major setback. Now at age 11, he desperately needs another layer of work to become a whole, functioning child.
There is a place called CALO , located just a few hours from our home, that works exclusively with attachment disorders. They come highly recommended and have a good rate of success. Canine therapy (which Khosi will LOVE) and family therapy is a huge part of their program.
CALO teaches children how to reintegrate into the family and to navigate family life. Khosi deserves so much to be there and conquer the last of his issues. The problem? It's expensive. CALO is $12,000 a month, with an average stay of 12-14 months -- but it could be longer.
How do families come up with the money to do this? Most take a second mortgages out on their homes. That's not possible for me at this point, as I have already gone through my savings, maxed out my credit, and dug into every financial resource I can find to get him to where he is today. But he needs more.
What happens if Khosi doesn’t get into CALO? The future right now is not bright for Khosi. Because hurt kids hurt other people, there is a safety issue of having Khosi in a traditional school or even in our home around his siblings. So this GoFundMe is my plan A. There is no Plan B.
I believe with all my heart that CALO is the best possible chance for Khosi to make it in this world.
I believe that we can save this child.
And I believe even more that he deserves to be saved and that the world will be a better place with his healed soul in it.
Everything was new to Khosi. From the moment I picked him up he was absorbing everything. When he saw a television for the first time, he cautiously placed his fingers on the screen to understand what he was seeing. He touched flowers on our walks. He picked up fallen leaves to examine them. He was excited (and terrified) to see the animals when we visited a wildlife park -- the giraffes were his favorite.
After getting home and settling in with his three "new" older siblings, we were seeing two sides of Khosi -- one was very grateful, curious and joyful, and the other was aggressive, impulsive and angry. Understanding the huge adjustment not just to our culture but to a family, we gave him time and space.
Over the last 8 years, Khosi has worked hard to conquer many of his demons. He has an attachment disorder which is a direct result of living his first three years of life in an orphanage in one of the poorest countries in the world. He had a massive infection of parasites that actually stunted his growth at 18 months old and caused permanent damage to his gut. Khosi currently requires a special diet. We have seen attachment therapists who have helped us deal with many of the issues, and he underwent neurotherapy -- a type of alternative biofeedback therapy that uses realtime displays of electroencephalography (EEG) to illustrate brain activity. Khosi has made progress since left Lesotho 8 years ago, but this past October he had a major setback. Now at age 11, he desperately needs another layer of work to become a whole, functioning child.
There is a place called CALO , located just a few hours from our home, that works exclusively with attachment disorders. They come highly recommended and have a good rate of success. Canine therapy (which Khosi will LOVE) and family therapy is a huge part of their program.
CALO teaches children how to reintegrate into the family and to navigate family life. Khosi deserves so much to be there and conquer the last of his issues. The problem? It's expensive. CALO is $12,000 a month, with an average stay of 12-14 months -- but it could be longer.
How do families come up with the money to do this? Most take a second mortgages out on their homes. That's not possible for me at this point, as I have already gone through my savings, maxed out my credit, and dug into every financial resource I can find to get him to where he is today. But he needs more.
What happens if Khosi doesn’t get into CALO? The future right now is not bright for Khosi. Because hurt kids hurt other people, there is a safety issue of having Khosi in a traditional school or even in our home around his siblings. So this GoFundMe is my plan A. There is no Plan B.
I believe with all my heart that CALO is the best possible chance for Khosi to make it in this world.
I believe that we can save this child.
And I believe even more that he deserves to be saved and that the world will be a better place with his healed soul in it.
Organizer
Kristen Kruger
Organizer
Ballwin, MO
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