Suubi is 24-year-old police officer from Uganda. He supports his three siblings, two of whom are in high school. Suubi's father passed away in 2009, and he is the sole breadwinner of the family. For the past two months, Suubi has been experiencing pain in his groin and not been able to work. Suubi didn't seek treatment because most of his salary goes towards his siblings' school fees. Thankfully, he heard about a Watsi care center. There, he was diagnosed with a hernia and will need surgery to repair it. He will need $219 to fund his procedure, scheduled for September 12. After surgery, Suubi is expected to be able to return to work pain-free. He looks forward to continuing to serve the community through his police work.

“My son has suffered with this condition his whole life,” shares Akandwanaho’s mother, a woman from Uganda. “He needs help, but I am unable to pay for his surgery.” Akandwanaho was born with a hydrocele, or excess buildup of fluid around one of his testicles. Although this issue often resolves on its own within a year, Akandwanaho is now five years old, and the swelling has only increased in size. He has also begun to feel pain when he walks to nursery school, which concerns his mother greatly. She shared her worries with her neighbor, who is a nurse at our medical partner's care center, Virika Hospital. The neighbor told Akandwanaho’s mother about the subsidized treatment that that center provides via Watsi. She was relieved to hear she might be able to get treatment for her son even though she normally could not afford it. When we raise $185, we can pay for the surgery that will remove Akandwanaho’s uncomfortable swelling on August 16. This fundraising goal will also cover the boy’s medications and three-day hospital stay. Although he is still young, Akandwanaho already has big dreams—he wants to study hard and become a police officer one day. Let’s make sure he has the chance to pursue that dream in good health.

Alejandro is a 16 year old teenager from Guatemala; he has six sisters and one older brother, who, like Alejandro, was born with club foot. In addition to the club foot, Alejandro also has a currently undiagnosed genetic condition that has caused tumors on his face and in other parts of his body. Approximately one infant in every 1000 live births will have clubfoot, making the condition a common one. Most cases, however, are successfully treated shortly after birth with nonsurgical methods such as stretching and casting. “His parents are extremely caring and want what is best for their youngest child, but he lives in an extremely rural area in northern Guatemala, and so they cannot afford nor do they have access to the care he needs or a prosthesis of any kind,” explains our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). For all of Alejandro’s life, “he has never been able to walk and so his father carries him everywhere that he goes, or he crawls on his hands and knees,” says WK. Two months ago, Alejandro received surgery to correct his club foot. $1252 will help Alejandro obtain prosthesis which will enable him to walk on his own. With this new independence, the shy teenager will finally begin to have the confidence and ability to attend school and make friends in his community. “He was born with his disability,” said Alejandro’s father, “But we were lucky that he was a good boy-he slept and ate well.” He adds, “we just want what is best for him."

When Ruth, a 13-year-old Tanzanian teenager turned nine, her legs started to bend inwards. “At first her parents thought that it was because of the cold weather, but when the condition got worse, she was taken to the hospital and parents were advised to do corrective surgery,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Ruth is in grade six and like geography, civics and Swahili subjects. She also enjoys playing netball with other students, even though ruth has not been able to run as fast she used to and complains of feeling pain on the knees. “Despite her condition and negative comments from her fellow pupils about her legs, Ruth is focused on her studies and is determined to finish school and continue with higher level of education,” adds AMHF. It’s Ruth’s dream to become a nurse when she grows up. The most likely cause of Ruth’s knock-knees is the high fluoride ion concentration in parts of Tanzania’s drinking water. If left untreated, Ruth will be at high risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age. “Ruth’s parents are small scale farmers—they rely on growing and selling maize and beans,” says AMHF. “They work hard to take care of their six children as well as other extended family members.” Their income covers the family’s daily expenses, but is not enough for the surgery. With $940, Ruth will undergo surgery and physical therapy to correct her knees. After the operation, Ruth will be able to walk normally, without knocking her knees.

Meet 70-year-old Tim from Cambodia. "Tim is married with three sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren," says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). "She enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray, planting crops around her home, and caring for her grandchildren. She traveled three hours with her daughter to reach CSC." Tim has glaucoma and a cataract in each eye. Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to the optic nerve, while cataracts lead to clouding of the eye lens. Glaucoma and cataracts worsen with time, resulting in diminished vision. "She is partially blind, experiences tearing, pain, burning, and is afraid of the sunshine," explains CSC. "She can not see everything clearly, recognize faces, do work well, or go anywhere outside by herself." For $300, Tim will receive trabeculectomy surgery. The surgery "will release the pressure in her eye caused by glaucoma. Her vision will improve and her pain will be relieved," continues CSC. Tim's daughter remains hopeful that her mother's pain will soon come to an end. She shares,"I hope my mother can see everything clearly again and not be in pain anymore, and she can easily do any work and walk anywhere by herself." Tim is eager to heal properly and return to daily life. She says, "I hope my eyes can see everything clearly as normal again. I would like to do any work well and easily go anywhere outside by myself, too."

21-year-old Chhoeun is the sixth child in his family--he has three sisters and four brothers. He lives in Cambodia, and in his spare time he enjoys playing volleyball and listening to music. However, “One year ago Chhoeun was in a road accident,” explains our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “The accident caused ankylosis [of the jaw], or abnormal stiffening and immobility of a joint due to bone fusion.” As a result, Chhoeun is experiencing painful swelling around his jaw bone, which has made it difficult for him to eat. Before the accident, Chhoeun earned a living as a farmer. However, his injury has affected his ability to work as he did previously. Chouen could not afford the surgery originally scheduled for him by another hospital, and instead traveled six hours to reach the CSC treatment centre. For $392, Chhoeun will undergo an arthroplasty, during which the damaged portion of his jaw will be removed. After the surgery, Chhoeun will receive physical therapy, which will help him regain muscle strength and achieve a better range of motion in his jaw joint. He will eventually be able to open his mouth without discomfort. “After I am healed I will go back to work,” shares Chhoeun. “I hope that my mouth will be able to open normally again. Many thanks to the doctors and nurses for their help.”

Ofelia is a sociable 61-year-old woman from the Philippines. Our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), shares, “Since all of her kids are already married, she devotes her time helping in the tasks in their local church.” Three years ago, Ofelia experienced sudden weight loss and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This condition is caused by the overproduction of a hormone in the thyroid. According to ICM, “She experiences sore throat, choking sensation and palpitations often thus affecting her daily activities and her ministry in their church.” Ofelia has undergone treatments in 2013 and 2014. However, her physician has now advised her to undergo a thyroidectomy—a surgery to remove the thyroid gland. Unfortunately, Ofelia and her husband cannot afford this treatment, as Ofelia does not work and her husband only earns $70 a month—barely enough for their daily expenses. ICM continues, “Her children also can't help with her surgery because they, too, have financial difficulties.” For $525, we can help fund Ofelia’s thyroid surgery, providing medication and a three-day hospital stay as well. The surgery will help correct her hormonal imbalance and eliminate the symptoms and discomfort Ofelia is currently experiencing. “She is very excited to undergo surgery so that she can continue to serve in their local church and sing without any difficulty,” adds ICM. “I’m always praying that there could be somebody who could help me with my surgery. It would be a great help if you could be God’s instrument to answer my prayer,” shares Ofelia.