STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Andiswa Jele arrived at the Dare to Dream House in Arrochar on Dec. 1. Her story, painful just to hear, is one that has stirred much kindness and tenderness.

Born on Sept. 10 in Swaziland, in southern Africa, she was thrown into a latrine pit by her mother -- who then set the pit ablaze by throwing in burning coals. A neighbor rescued the infant, but not before she was badly burned.

She was rushed to the Mankayane Government Hospital and put on life support.

Miraculously, she survived and her beauty shines through her disfiguring wounds.

In her "I really love hugs" sweatshirt, Baby Andi -- her affectionate nickname -- looks strong and alert. Framed by an inch-long Afro, her liquid black eyes are so enormous it seems you can see your reflection. She warms up to a photo shoot, smiling and letting out a few yelps. When things are a little quiet, you can hear her grunting. Her breathing is impaired by scarring.



Baby Andi is the youngest of Elissa Montanti's 180 children from all corners of the world who have suffered horrific injuries, mainly from war and natural disasters. Through Global Medical Relief (GMRF), the charity she founded and directs, they receive prosthetics for missing limbs, skin grafts for burns, and a loving place to heal and recapture their childhood.



With her mother arrested, Baby Andi was taken care of at an orphanage in Swaziland run by Heart for Africa, an Altanta-based nonprofit. When Ms. Montanti heard of the baby's plight, she responded immediately that GMRF would take care of her and flew to Atlanta to pick up the infant when she arrived.



Baby Andi is the youngest child to come to Dare to Dream House, a modest and lively place that serves as headquarters for the international operation's miniscule staff and a place where children and guardians stay during treatment.



The suffering of the newborn at the hands of her mother is particularly brutal, but Ms. Montanti has absorbed the pain of all the children.



"Every child that goes back and is carried onto the plane and goes back walking, empowered, walking with restored dignity and youth -- that's what gives me the strength," says Ms. Montanti, sitting in the conference room.



The mother of one of the two full-time workers with GMRF moved in to take care of Baby Andi, and Ms. Montanti approached Dr. David Hoffman, an oral surgeon with Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) about her medical care.



"She was taken good care of [in Swaziland], but she did not receive expert care at a hospital with a burn unit," says Dr. Hoffman, who agreed to caring for Baby Andi when Dr. Michael Cooper, director of the SIUH Burn Unit, came on board.



On Monday, Dec. 15, surgery will be performed to remove scarring that contorts her mouth and blocks her left nostril, impairing breathing. Nasal stents will be inserted and replaced every few weeks to expand the nose and facilitate breathing.



"She can't breathe while she eats which causes choking," says Dr. Hoffman.



Scars from Baby Andi's burns have also pulled a finger out of the joint on her right hand. The left eye has been pulled down by damaged tissue and her left elbow will need repair.



Fixing the finger also will be a priority. Dr. Hoffman anticipates she will have four or five trips to the operating room in the next few weeks. They will be evaluating the next step with each procedure. As she gets older, he says, more can be done to heal the scarring.



Burns are not his specialty, but providing children with pro bono surgery is something he has done for more than 20 years through Heal the Children's missions to developing countries and domestically, the Baby Face Foundation.



"An outpouring of love has been ushering in from all over the Island with calls and people coming by with clothing and baby supplies," says Ms. Montanti, a result of Drs. Hoffman and Arthur Buonaspina, her SIUH pediatrician, telling the story.



Baby Andi will return to the orphanage to live and, as with all the children, she will return as she grows for the next step in her care.



At Dare to Dream House right now, Baby Andi is living with 13-month-old Gavin Nelson Mandela of Kenya, Jasmine Mahamotvic, 17, of Bosnia, and Pujan Bhatta, 17, of Nepal. Phillip from Missouri will be joining them soon.



Though she had no idea where it would lead, Ms. Montanti's life was changed by the first child she helped in 1996, Kenan Malkic from Bosnia who lost both arms and a leg from a landmine. And now the youngest is opening the heart of her and her staff.



"I feel that everyone could do good. You don't need to be a saint to do something good. Everybody can make a difference," says Ms. Montanti, a 2011 Woman of Achievement.



