Nita is a 31-year-old seller of Khmer beverages. She has a 6-year-old daughter. Her husband works for a company in the capital city of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. When not caring for her family, she likes to exercise, read books, and listen to music. A year ago, a mass started growing on Nita's right mandible, which she originally thought was a wisdom tooth. She visited a local hospital for a biopsy, and she was diagnosed with a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. She experiences pain and discomfort. She is scared she will be permanently disfigured or might die. When Nita learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On December 6th, surgeons at CSC will perform a mandibulectomy and extensive facial reconstruction to to rid her body of the tumour and avoid permanent disfigurement. Now, she needs help to fund this $657 procedure. She is hopeful that the tumor will be removed and she will quickly heal.

Eva is a small-scale farmer along with her husband. Together they rent a single room for shelter. Eva shared that she lost her first child shortly after birth, but she is now expecting again. During her free time, Eva enjoys singing during church masses. Eva's doctors recommended that she deliver via a Cesarean section because of her previous birthing history. On December 21st, she arrived to the hospital after feeling minor pains. On December 22nd, Eva will undergo a C-section to ensure a safe delivery for her and her new child. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $214 to fund Eva's surgery. Eva shared, "I hope for a successful surgery. I will proceed with farming so that I may be able to take good care of my child."

Edisa is a small-scale farmer. She shared she has no children but lost a child in 1979 due to intrauterine fetal death. She separated from her husband in 1992 and currently lives with her relatives. Since 1980, Edisa has had a supra-umbilical hernia. She developed bladder complications at that point and underwent repair surgery. Shortly after the surgery, she developed minor umbilical swelling, but it has increased over time and became more painful in 2010. She currently experiences discomfort and pain, which is aggravated further by coughing, strained work, and eating certain foods. Edisa enjoys singing in church and working on the farm, but she cannot do so anymore due to her condition. Doctors determined she needs to undergo surgery to address the risk of hernia strangulation or obstruction. Fortunately, on December 21st, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at the care center of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). This procedure will allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. AMFH is requesting $170 to fund Edisa’s surgery. Edisa shared, “I am in pain, and I cannot afford the surgery. I hope to get well through surgery so that I may resume my usual farming duties and be able to take good care of myself.”

Clarkson is a 9-year-old jovial and social boy. He's the fourth and last born in his family. Together his family lives in a two-roomed mud house in a village in rural Kenya. Clarkson was accompanied to our clinic by his mother. His mother shared that at the age of 2, Clarkson suffered from malaria and went to get an injection. The injection is assumed to have been the cause of his condition. Now he walks with discomfort and cannot play with friends. His mother shared that his friends make fun of how he walks which causes him to have lower self-esteem. Clarkson's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on December 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Clarkson's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk like other friends, be in less pain, and even play football (which he is excited for!). His family is not financially able to fund the surgery and is appealing for financial assistance. Clarkson says, “I would love my feet to be corrected so I can walk confidently.”

Chanly is a 32-year-old woman. She has three sisters and three brothers. Chanly’s parents are farmers. Two months ago, Chanly had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her left ear to perforate. For this reason, Chanly experiences pain, discharge, and can’t sleep well at night because of discomfort. She cannot communicate clearly with others. Chanly traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On November 2nd, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Chanly’s mother says, “I hope my daughter’s hearing will improve and the discharge will stop after surgery.”

Kyle is a beautiful one-year-old girl. She's the last born in a family of two children and her older sibling is in third grade. Her mother is a single mom who is raising her kids on her own. She earns a living trading second-hand clothes in their neighborhood. Kyle's mom shared that they are signed up for a national health insurance program, but haven't been able to make the monthly premium payments so the insurance is not able to cover expenses like surgery. Kyle has beendiagnosed with a rectovestibular fistula and had a colostomy performed at Kenyatta National Hospital last year. She has now come to our medical partner's care center for the follow-up surgery that she needs for her birth condition. She has needed this surgery for a while but the waiting list has been long at the other hospital and their family could not afford the cost of surgery. Kyle’s mother says, “My young girl deserves to grow up like other kids. She needs this treatment.”

Sarah is a 5-year-old girl from Haiti. She is typically a healthy and active girl and is very loved by her family. Sarah has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Sarah has been experiencing severe headaches. Sarah had a shunt placed when she was an infant for treatment and it allowed her to develop normally. The recent headaches alerted the doctors that the shunt stopped working and needed to be replaced. Without treatment, Sarah will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Sarah at Hospital Bernard Mevs. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on December 7th. This critical treatment will replace the shunt and drain the excess fluid from Sarah's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Sarah will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Their family is grateful that Sarah will be able to continue to have a happy life after the shunt is replaced.

Justin is a jovial 7-year-old girl from Kenya. She is a class 1 pupil at Kisisi Primary School and her family hails from Igoji village in Meru County. Justin is an only child, her mother stays at home with Justin’s elderly grandmother while their aunt is a peasant farmer. Justin has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Justin traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on April 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,224 to fund Justin's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily without the deformity. “My joy is to see Justin walking like other children. I am pleading for support that will make her undergo surgery and continue with her studies uninterrupted.” --Joyce, Justin’s aunt told us.

Mu is a 35-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Aung Hlaing Village in Karen State of Burma. Mu and her husband are farmers, but they do not own any land. She works on her mother-in-law’s land in exchange for 50 tin of harvest rice (approx. 1500 kg) each year. Occasionally, Mu’s husband works as a day laborer on others’ farms too. Four months ago, Mu started to experience blurry vision in her left eye. At that time, she did not think it could be serious, and did not see a doctor. One and half months later, she decided to see a doctor as her vision did not improve. She went to Hpa-An Private Clinic where the doctor examined her eye with an instrument. The doctor told her that there was nothing wrong with her eye but could not tell her why she had blurry vision. The doctor gave her a bottle of eye drops which did not make her vision any better. However, she continued to use the eye drops for a month. Two months after she first experienced blurry vision in her left eye, Mu’s also developed blurry vision in her right eye. The doctor at Mae Sot Hospital recommended a CT scan to rule out the possibility of a brain tumor. Doctors want Mu to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Mu's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 4th. Mu said, “I feel very stressed that I have to suffer like this. I don’t know whether the doctor will be able to treat me. As my children are still young, if I don’t heal, I don’t know what to do or how I will take care of them [my children].”

Martha is a peasant farmer from central Kenya. She relies on small-scale farming to make ends meet for her five children and herself. Her husband also tends to the farm with her. The family’s income is divided to meet the family's demands especially school fees for two of her children. Since 10 years ago, Martha began to experience troubling symptoms, including pain and discomfort. She was diagnosed with a multi-nodular goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Martha receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 10th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $653, and she and her family need help raising money. Martha says, “My prayer is to be treated to reduce the persistent pain on my right side of the neck.”

Ma Ni is a 30-year-old woman from Burma. In her free time, she likes to pray to Buddha. She and her husband work as government officers. Together they earn 414,000 kyat (approx. $414 USD) per month, which is not enough for any safety net after they pay their bills for utilities and other household expenses. One day in July 2019, Ma Ni stood up from her desk at work and had pain in her hip joints. She had to push her hand against her hips to help her walk. She did not think there was anything seriously wrong so she did not seek medical attention. However, two weeks after this incident, when she was going to work, she slipped and fell in front of her house. Right away her hips started to hurt and two weeks later, the pain gradually became severe. Her condition worsened day by day, although she visited several hospitals and had taken medications. Currently, Ma Ni has a lot of pain in her hips. She cannot walk for more than two minutes or the pain becomes unbearable. She does not feel comfortable when she lays down and has problems sleeping from the pain. She also needs help going to the bathroom and taking a shower. Fortunately, Ma Ni learned about Watsi's medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). At BCMF's care center, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Ma Ni of her pain and allow her to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for December 17th, and Ma Ni needs help raising $1,500 to pay for this procedure. Ma Ni said, "I had to send my son to my mother’s place in Mawlamyine and my husband also had to ask for leave. [When fully recovered] I want to take back my son from my mother and send him to school. I will support him in whatever he wants to become when he grows up.”

Nosiligi is a child from Tanzania. She is the seventh born child in a family of eight children. She has not been able to start school yet due to her left hand that was deformed after a fire accident when she was two years old. Her mother is scared that if she goes to school with how her hand is now she will be discriminated and made fun of by other children. Nosiligi’s mother is a widow since her father passed away when she was two years old due to illness. This left the mother with no one to help her look after the children. Her husband had left them with a few cattle and through that they are able to get a little milk to sell to supplement their income and do small-scale farming. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Nosiligi receive treatment. On January 31st, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help her use her hand and hopefully join school with no fear of discrimination. Now, she needs help to fund this $832 procedure. Nosiligi’s mother says, “Please help my daughter. She is having challenges performing her daily activities.”