When she’s not seeing patients in our clinic or recording the “Live It Up!” TV show on NCWLife with her husband Fletcher, Dr. Amy Ellingson is devoting time to an organization called Touching Tiny Lives (TTL).
Dr. Amy Ellingson of Three Rivers Family Medicine in Brewster donates $23,000 to Nthabeleng Lephoto of Touching Tiny Lives, an organization that helps children in Lesotho, Africa. Photo courtesy Amy Ellingson
The organization helps children in Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in Africa. Lesotho has the second highest HIV rates and fourth highest tuberculosis rates in the world.
Dr. Ellingson got involved with the organization in 2006 after reading about it in a magazine for Notre Dame alumni. Today, she is a member of the TTL Foundation governing board. Her role includes providing medical training in Lesotho, and residents come talk to her about their health.
“I feel like it’s my responsibility to participate in helping children who didn’t have a say in their circumstances,” she said.
She is also part of a local group that organizes the annual Chelan to Africa concert to benefit Touching Tiny Lives. The concert takes place the first Saturday in August, but interested donors or volunteers can get involved year-round. Dr. Ellingson traveled to Colorado in October to deliver $23,000 raised from the concert, which is in its 12th year. In total, Chelan to Africa has raised about $90,000.
The village has a hospital, but it’s remote and has limited electricity and supplies. But through Touching Tiny Lives, which is run by Lesotho residents, families who live far from the hospital still receive help.
“Their outreach program is amazing,” Dr. Ellingson said. “They might drive three hours to deliver formula or medications. I love that they can reach any child, no matter how far away.”
Dr. Ellingson plans to return to Lesotho in April.
If you’d like to help Touching Tiny Lives, please visit the following websites to learn more:
