Oscar is a six-moth-old boy from Guatemala. He is the second of two children and lives near a lake with his parents and older sibling. Since Oscar's birth, his mother has not been able to produce breast milk. As a result, Oscar is small for his age and undernourished. As his family cannot afford formula, they soothe his hungry cries with warm sugar water. This highly limited diet is dangerous to Oscar's health. Lactation failure can often result in starvation and dehydration. It can also cause electrolyte imbalances that lead to seizures. “I hope for my son to grow well, study, and one day become a professional," Oscar's mother says. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $1,162 to fund Oscar's nutrition treatment. Upon arrival at our medical partner's care center, Clinic Panajachel, Oscar and his mother were provided with a supply of formula to hold them over until the nutritionists have developed a treatment plan. Beginning on March 28, the staff at Clinic Panajachel will work with Oscar's mother, training her to check for signs of malnutrition and helping her create inexpensive and healthy meals for her family. Oscar is expected to recover well, gain a strong immune system, and grow up healthy.

Hope is a 42-year-old mother from Uganda. She lives with her husband, Stephen, and her three children, all of whom are in secondary school. Together with her husband, Hope farms, growing maize, beans, and millet to support their family. When not working, Hope enjoys spending time with her children. For the past five months, Hope has been experiencing uncomfortable symptoms in a sensitive area, which have made it hard for her to work and take care of her family. Seeking treatment, Hope traveled to Bwindi Community Hospital, our medical partner's care center. On April 21, Hope will undergo a hysterectomy to help treat her symptoms. Our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is asking for $321 to cover the cost of Hope's surgery. Hope and her family have contributed $6 to her treatment. "May God bless all the donors," says Hope. "I thank them so much for this support."

Wisdom is a newborn baby from Kenya. He lives with his mother and grandmother. His grandmother works as a cleaner to provide for their family. At birth, Wisdom was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the skull, causing pressure on his brain. On April 6, Wisdom will undergo a shunt insertion procedure at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital (BKKH), our medical partner's care center, to drain the fluid from his head. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is asking for $685 to cover the cost of his treatment. Wisdom's grandmother is able to contribute $52 towards his treatment. Both Wisdom's mother and grandmother are looking forward to his recovery, so he can grow to be a healthy, happy child!

Ninio is a one-year-old boy from the Philippines. He is very thin and has been diagnosed with malnutrition. Nevertheless, he loves playing with his ball and toy cars. Fortunately, Ninio will be receiving treatment through our medical partner's home-based malnutrition intervention program. This program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure he gets the additional food he needs to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. Volunteers will monitor his progress, and professional staff will educate his parents about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Ninio's treatment will begin on February 22 and costs $184. "I hope that my son will grow healthy and strong and be an engineer someday," says his mother.

Cherylle is a one-year-old little girl from Philippines, where she lives with her family in a small house made of bamboo. Her parents are charcoal miners. She loves to play with her friends in her play house. Cherylle has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens her growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, she will begin $268 malnutrition treatment on February 21. Cherylle will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s home-based feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Her mother says, "I hope someday my child's health becomes good and she can finish her studies."

Wai Wai is a 48-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her mother and younger sister. They own a small shop, in which they sell goods made from bamboo. Eight years ago, Wai Wai started to experience pain in her joints. She was diagnosed with rheumatic arthritis. She visited a clinic, where she received injections for the arthritis. After a year of receiving injections, her pain subsided. Wai Wai did not experience any health problems until March, when she began to cough and have difficulty breathing. She grew tired easily, and her joint pain returned. She experienced strong heart palpitations, which sometimes prevented her from sleeping. In May, Wai Wai visited a hospital and underwent a diagnostic echocardiogram. She was diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis, a narrowing of the heart's mitral valve. Inflammatory diseases, such as Wai Wai's rheumatic arthritis, can affect the connective tissues of the body, particularly those in the heart. Her doctor recommended surgery, but she she could not afford treatment. She tried using traditional medicines, but her symptoms did not improve. Fortunately, Wai Wai was referred to our medical partner. She is now scheduled to undergo a mitral valve replacement on December 23. Wai Wai hopes to get well soon. She plans to help her sister with their business, and resume her religious activities, including meditation and teaching children about Buddhism. “I’m very happy now," says Wai Wai.

Karyn Dayana is nine months old. She and her twin sister, also named Karyn, are only the size of healthy two-month-olds. Their mother cannot produce breast milk to feed her twins, so they are small and malnourished. Karyn Dayana lives on a limited diet, which is insufficient and has dangerous implications for her health. Lactation failure can lead to starvation and dehydration. It can also provoke electrolyte imbalances that cause seizures. Brain development occurring during this delicate time is compromised, so she is at risk of long-term damage. Karyn Dayana’s father works as a day laborer, and her mother works at home. Her family cannot afford to pay for her treatment. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK), is requesting $1,107 to fund this treatment. To stabilize her condition, Karyn Dayana was given a preliminary supply of formula, which will last until WK's nutritionist can create a nutritional plan and formally begin treatment on February 3. By supplying Karyn Dayana with formula and her mother with health education, Karyn Dayana will receive the calories she needs to grow and thrive. One-on-one education with Karyn Dayana’s mother will teach her how to provide a nutritious, inexpensive diet for her daughter. She will also learn to check for signs of malnutrition and other illness. Karyn Dayana’s immune system will strengthen, and she will grow up to be a healthy, energetic baby. Karyn’s mother says, “We are worried about our daughter’s health since she is so small and keeps getting sick. Before this, we had not thought to look for help since we live so far away from the community. We hope our twin daughters can get better and grow well so that they can someday have dignified jobs.”

Issa is a 63-year-old man from a village in Malawi. He lives with his wife, and together they have ten children and six grandchildren. They run a small maize and groundnut farm. Issa also works as a tailor. He likes to watch football with his friends. In January of 2016, Issa began to experience urinary dysfunction. He visited our medical partner's hospital, Nkhoma Hospital, and was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate. He underwent prostate surgery on December 20. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $726 to fund this procedure. After recovery, Issa will return to his family and farm, and he will live a life free from pain. "I have been looking for help," says Issa. "Thank you, Watsi, for paying the bill!"

Leng is a 63-year-old rice farmer with one son, seven daughters, and ten grandchildren. She likes to listen to monks pray on the radio, watch Khmer dramas on TV, and read books. One month ago, Leng developed a pterygium, or a growth of tissue, in each eye. She experiences blurred vision, tearing, and burning. She also has difficulty seeing things clearly, doing any work, and going places on her own. When Leng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for two hours to seek treatment. On November 23, CSC surgeons removed the pterygium from each eye. This procedure will improve Leng's vision. Now, she needs help to fund this $148 procedure. "I hope to look better and feel more comfortable," she says, "so that I can read books and watch TV easily, do any work at home, and go anywhere outside by myself."

Meet Alejandro, a friendly 75-year-old man from Guatemala who loves to tell stories of the past. He often talks about the progress his community has made since the decades-long genocide back in the 1990's, which had affected indigenous communities of Guatemala for years. Now, after raising five children who have families of their own, Alejandro lives with his wife in the mountains where they work as farmers. To support his family, he walks nearly five hours to sell their oranges, sugar cane, and peanuts in the next town over. Alejandro has been steadily losing his vision for the past several years. After working many years as a farmer--everyday from sunrise to sunset--he assumed that his worsening vision was just a normal part of growing old. However, when Alejandro was referred to an eye specialist, he learned that he had developed cataracts-- a cloudy build-up of protein in the eye lenses. Though this condition is common and simple to treat with surgery, many rural Guatemalans do not have access to adequate medical resources. But for $1500, doctors at Wuqu' Kawoq will perform an operation to remove the cloudy lenses in Alejandro's eyes and replaces them with new artificial ones. This treatment will restore Alejandro's vision, giving him the ability to be more independent in doing what he loves: agriculture. He is already incredibly excited to have better vision, and he says that it has made him excited to be alive. "When I heard that there was a possibility that I could improve my vision, I got really happy," Alejandro shares, "I will feel like I am young again and that I will be able to continue working in what I love, which is agriculture."

Gustavo is a nine-month-old baby boy from Guatemala who has five siblings, all under the age of 8. He and his family live in a humble one-room house with a tin roof. His father works as a day laborer, where he makes $6 per day, but only when there is work. This is nowhere near enough to support even basic foods for the entire family, leaving Gustavo's parents feeling helpless. Gustavo is acutely malnourished because his mother has not been able to produce enough breastmilk to feed Gustavo and his twin sister, Reyna. This has made him unable to grow and he is only the size of a healthy two-month-old. If he does not receive a calorie and protein-rich nutritional therapy, he could face permanent neurodevelopmental stunting, and an increased risk of chronic diseases as an adult. Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Gustavo recover from malnutrition. For $512, he will undergo the treatment he needs. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to gain motor skills and learn new words instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. His mother will receive the support she needs to feel empowered to give Gustavo the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with limited resources. Intervention now will give Gustavo the chance to live a healthy and productive life.

Six-month-old Cristhofer is the youngest of two children. He lives with his family in a one-room cinderblock house in Guatemala. His mother is raising him alone, and works cooking, cleaning, and taking care of him and his siblings, as well as washing neighbors’ clothes to earn a little money. Although his mom wants the best for him, she does not have the resources to feed him even one vegetable, piece of fruit, or egg—the minimum that he needs to be able to overcome malnutrition. When he was born, Cristhofer had to spend the first weeks of his life hospitalized for pneumonia. Since then, he has not been able to catch up to a normal weight. His mother says that he is almost always sick and never has an appetite—that is because he hasn’t had a healthy diet filled with protein, calories, and nutrients. If he does not receive treatment, Cristhofer could face the consequences of malnutrition for the rest of his life—he could have a low IQ, trouble focusing in school, and a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as an adult. All these consequences make it less likely he will have a well-paying job as an adult, meaning the cycle of poverty and malnutrition would continue if he decides to have kids. Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Cristhofer recover from malnutrition. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to gain motor skills and learn new words instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. His mother will receive the support she need to feel empowered to give Cristhofer the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with limited resources. Intervention now will give Cristhofer the chance to live a healthy and productive life and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.