While working as a plastic surgeon in Santiago, Chile for the Roberto Del Rio Children's Hospital, Jorge Rojas Zegers, M.D., was compelled to commit his life to the youngest burn victims in Latin America. Rojas realized that the need extended beyond medical care for the burns, and that these children would need psychological and emotional care for the long haul. In Chile, long-term treatment was scarce, and many burn victims were unable to complete their education, obtain employment, and return to society to lead fulfilling lives. Therefore, in 1979 he founded Corporacion de Ayunda Nino Quemado (COANIQUEM), which means Corporation to Help Burned Children, to provide the necessary treatment free of charge to allow these children to lead healed, productive, and fulfilled lives. Since its inception, COANIQUEM has benefited the lives of 75,000 children, providing treatment for over 9,000 annually. Rojas' contributions have stretched beyond Chile to many other countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. His vision of quality burn treatment, involving plastic surgery, scar compression, physical therapy, and treatment of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder, has been a model for others in the field as well. Rojas has also worked to generate consciousness of the causes of severe burns and has provoked Chilean legislators to initiate a law prohibiting the domestic use of fireworks and pyrotechnics. Today, COANIQUEM hosts two burn rehabilitation facilities in Chile, but is raising funds for four new COANIQUEM centers in Latin America. These new centers will be like the first two with surgical rooms, dining rooms, and living spaces including hospitality services provided for the families of the burned children. A room is provided for one parent of each victim, so that he or she can stay the entire duration of the rehabilitation process with their child. The new COANIQUEM centers will be sponsored through Rojas' tireless fundraising. For more information, please visit www.coaniquem.cl.

Click here to download profile