Meet John, a playful two-year-old, living with his mother. When John was nine months old, his mother noticed that he wasn't passing urine normally. She brought him to the hospital, where John was examined. His mother was told to return home and to give John time. Last month, John's mother brought him to a different facility, where he was diagnosed with hypospadias, which is the cause of John's urinating abnormally. Surgical intervention is required to remedy this condition. John's mother is a single parent, who works when she can as a caretaker, but is not able to raise enough funds to pay for John's surgery. Fortunately, they were referred to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare for help. They are now seeking $847 to fully fund John's hypospadias repair, which is scheduled for June 16th at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. The surgery will correct his birth condition, which can cause future complications for John's health. John’s mother has new hope that he son will be well, she shared: “Despite our financial hardships, I do believe that John will be treated.”

Soeung is a 60-year old rice farmer from Cambodia. Soeung has three sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. Now she lives with her son and husband who are also rice farmers. Soeung enjoys listening to the news and the monks pray on the radio. Five years ago, Soeung developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurred vision, tearing, irritation, cloudy lens, and photophobia. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Soeung learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours with her son seeking treatment. On September 28th, doctors will perform small incision cataract surgery (SICS) and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Soeung said, "I hope I can recognize the faces of others clearly after my surgery and I can be more helpful to my family."

Nenglanget is a young girl from Tanzania. She is being raised by her mother and grandmother, who work as farmers. Nenglanget's lower leg was accidentally burned by a cooking fire. She was rushed to the hospital and had her wounds treated. Unfortunately, her wounds developed repeated infections. Now, she can no longer walk. Nenglanget needs to undergo an amputation surgery so that she will be able to use a prosthetic leg and have a chance to walk again. Surgery is scheduled for March 5 and will cost $1,035. Nenglanget’s grandmother says, “Please help my granddaughter she can no longer walk due her leg being deformed from the fire.”

Josephine and her twin brother are the third and fourth children to their parents. Josephine's mother says she is a happy child who enjoys playing with her siblings. Josephine's feet are turned inward. Because she can walk, her mother never sought treatment for the condition. Recently, our medical partner's community outreach officer traveled to Josephine's village, where he diagnosed her with clubfeet and spoke to her parents about treatment options. Now, she is scheduled to undergo repair surgery on January 24. Josephine's parents are small scale farmers who herd goats and cows. However, their income is limited, and they need help to provide treatment for their daughter. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,160. Josephine's mother says, "I hope that my daughter will be able to walk straight and attend school."

Nyein is a 28-year-old woman originally from Burma. When she was a child, her mother opened a mohinga, a Burmese noodle shop. Nyein quit school after sixth grade to help her mother in the shop. When she was 18 years old, Nyein moved to Bangkok to support her mother financially. She currently works as a babysitter and housekeeper in Bangkok, living with her employer’s family. She looks after the young children, prepares food, cleans the house, and does laundry. Nyein sends most of her income home to her mother, who she visits once a year. Three years ago, she paid for her mother to undergo two cataract surgeries to restore her vision. In September of 2016, Nyein began to experience stomachaches. She took painkillers, but the pain continued. Finally, she visited a public hospital in Bangkok, where she underwent an X-ray and was diagnosed with stomach flu. Despite taking oral medication, her symptoms were alleviated only temporarily. Nyein decided to return to Burma to see her mother. There, she learned about our medical partner’s clinic, Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). When Nyein visited MTC, she was diagnosed with a benign colon tumor. She underwent a tumor removal procedure on December 19. During her free time, Nyein loves watching Thai movies and listening to Thai music on her mobile phone. She hopes that she will be fully cured so that she can return to work and continue to support her mother. For now, she needs help to pay for this $1,500 surgery.

Jabali is a nine-month-old boy from Kenya. He is the youngest in a family of two children. When he was six months old, Jabali was diagnosed with an undescended testis, an abnormal condition in a sensitive area. Without treatment, he is at risk of fertility problems, testicular cancer, or a hernia. Fortunately, he will undergo a corrective orchidopexy surgery on January 17. Jabali and his family live in a one-room rental house. His mother works as a caterer, while his father is taxi driver. Jabali's parents have contributed $52 to fund his care, but they need help to raise more. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting an additional $535, which will cover surgical supplies, medications, and Jabali's hospital stay. "We were worried about the condition," says Jabali's mother, "but through intense reassurance, we are hopeful all will be well.”

Tha Zin is an 18-year-old student from Mogok Township, Kachin State, Burma (near Mandalay Division). She lives with her mother, father, and her three sisters. Tha Zin's father supports the family. His job is to cut and polish gemstones and he earns approximately 300,000 kyat (approximately 300 USD) per month. This income is usually enough to support the family's daily expenses and they have even been able to save money. However, since Tha Zin became ill the family has spent all their savings on her medical care and now her older sister is unable to return to university because the funds saved for her university fees have been spent also. Tha Zin first started to experience painful headaches in February 2015. Her father took her to many hospitals with several admissions but she was not diagnosed properly. In September 2015 she was admitted to Mogok hospital because she was losing her memory and could not walk or talk. The doctor there suggested Tha Zin's father take her to medical partner Mandalay Hospital for a CT scan. Tha Zin and her father travelled to Mandalay where she was diagnosed with multiple brain abscesses. Tha Zin's family was so worried that nothing further could be done. Tha Zin felt sad, lost hope and became depressed. She stayed at home, mainly lying in bed. Her family has given up hope about finding further treatment because they have spent all their money on medical and associated costs and they were already in debt. Tha Zin's father recently accompanied his younger daughter, Tha Zin's sister, to a doctor's appointment at the Mogok clinic. At this time the monk from the Ananda Myitta Clinic (AMC) was visiting to meet with the doctor and heard the story of Tha Zin's medical condition from her father. The monk encouraged Tha Zin's father to travel with her to Mae Sot, Thailand to BCMF. Tha Zin said, "I feel hopeless and thought I will die soon. My family has spent a lot of money on hospital and medical costs. I feel like a burden and trouble for my family. My sisters are also so worried for me all the time. If I have a future I want to study and live with my family for a long time." She added, "I want to be well soon. I would like to go to university and then become a teacher and help my community." With the support from Watsi, Tha Zin underwent a CT scan on October 11. The result showed mass-like growths which needed to be removed very quickly. Tha Zin had this growth removal surgery on October 22.

Annah is a 35-year-old woman from Kenya, and a mother to six young children. She works as a casual laborer, often working in other people’s farms for a living. The family lives in a rental house where rent is paid by her husband, who works as a tailor. Earlier this year, Annah went to the hospital because she found lumps in her breasts, but she was only given some medications. The lumps reoccurred in April with additional symptoms. She was referred to AIC Kijabe Hospital, a Watsi care center, where biopsy and x-ray results showed that she had breast cancer. Annah needs a mastectomy as part of her treatment. If not treated, the cancer may spread to other organs and this may lead to premature death. $740 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Annah needs. Let's help raise the funds! Annah says, “I want to be treated and be free from this condition to be there for my young children and husband”.