Meet Jose, an 18-month-old baby from Guatemala. Jose loves to dance and play ball with his older cousins. Unfortunately, Jose has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. According to our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK), "He is underweight and small for his age, and his immune system has been weakened by the chronic lack of calories, protein, and nutrients that are part of a normal diet." Jose's parents cannot afford to give him the resources he needs. This puts Jose at risk for a number of health concerns, including diarrhea, pneumonia, lowered IQ, difficulty in school, chronic disease, and even possibly death, given his age. Treatment for acute malnutrition includes growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication. These methods will help Jose recover, saving his life in the short term, and giving him a better quality of life in the long term. Jose's parents will also benefit from Jose's treatment. "His parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give Jose the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, including intensive nutrition classes which will tell them what, how, and when to feed Jose," shares WK. These interventions will hopefully give Jose the chance to live a healthy and productive life and escape the cycle of malnutrition. Jose’s mother shares these hopeful words: “We hope that Jose grows well and goes to school to learn how to read and become a professional – maybe a teacher.”

Three-year-old Ester lives with her mother, father, and her three older siblings in Tanzania. Her father is a self-employed carpenter, and her mother sells the vegetables she grows in her garden at an open market in their village. Ester loves to play with her dolls, and will carefully carry her biggest doll to meals and feed her doll during mealtimes. Ester was born with genu varus, or "bow legs," a condition that is fairly normal during early child development. Ester’s mother became concerned about Ester’s legs when she turned 18 months old and still had unusual gait and instability. "Ester wiggles when walking. She often falls down when she tries to run and she can’t keep up when running with other children. Ester will be at risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age if not treated," explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Ester’s mother took her to various hospitals and attempted to treat her legs with adjusting her diet and adding multivitamins, but it did not help. Since Ester still has bow legs at her age, it must be rectified with surgery. Ester needs $940 to have her bow legs surgically repaired. The total cost will cover the surgery, three days of inpatient care, and two weeks of outpatient care. The surgery will give her better gait and reduce her risk of developing osteoarthritis. Ester’s mother is excited for Ester’s full recovery. “I will be happy to see my daughter with straight legs and able to walk properly,” she says.