Children with debilitating and highly visible diseases and physical conditions, mostly suffer physical and emotional trauma. Some of them are born with deformities that essentially rule out a normal life for them. Over the past years, it has become common to read about many of the ailments plaguing our people especially children, such as brain tumours, hole in heart, defective kidneys, eye tumours, and burn scars to mention just a few. In some cases, children with conditions like cleft lips, burn scars and other deformities do not go to school, while some are also abandoned at birth. Many of these deformities are more expensive to correct and not a single day passes without a publication in the print and electronic media about the plight of children, suffering from ailments or deformities, with the cost of treatment beyond the reach of their parents. Most of these cases which were hitherto unreported, are now given attention in the media, as affected parents have nowhere else to go for financial help to enable them to seek medical treatments for their wards. The media usually appeal to individuals, corporate bodies, philanthropists, religious bodies etc. to donate to help, these children undergo medical treatment. For instance on July 27, 2010 a television station carried a news item in which a mother of a little girl with an eye tumor was appealing to the public for financial assistance to enable her to pay for the treatment of her ward. The worse part is that, this child who was in serious pain had to wait for a good Samaritan to donate money before a surgery could be performed. There are a lot of children with similar conditions whose parents are also using the media to solicit funds to treat their wards. It is sad to note that by the time a philanthropist or a good Samaritan responds to this appeal, the condition of some of the children might have deteriorated with them barely surviving the surgery and its subsequent treatment. These are examples of the failure on our part as a nation to collectively discharge our obligations towards our children who are our future leaders. How can we allow our dear children to go through such untold hardship whilst little is done to save them. These problems and others confronting children, is a wake-up call on, both governmental and non-governmental organisations, philanthropic individuals and organisations, and all departments and agencies charged with the responsibility of protecting the welfare of children to act decisively to protect the rights and interests of children. It is necessary for the government to resource the Social Welfare Department to take up these cases when they arise. Parents should also register with the National Health Insurance scheme to enable their children to benefit from the facility. The scheme should also be made more responsive to the needs of children with such problems. The Ministry of Health, civil society organisations and governmental departments and agencies, should strengthen modalities and co-operate with NGOs, the media, as well as the general public to protect the interest of children, especially, those suffering from deformities. Corporate bodies need to emulate the example of other organisations that have responded positively to appeals by parents of children in need of health care and take the issue seriously by contributing their quota. We need to remember that an adult is a child who has survived and it is our duty to ensure that our children survived their childhood. Source: Daily Graphic