Chit is a 50-year-old man who was born in Yangon. He lives with his wife and son in a refugee camp in Thailand. Two years ago, a fragment of wood injured Chit's eye. He received treatment and was given eye drops from the medical clinic at the camp. Discomfort returned to his right eye shortly afterwards, and Chit's eyesight has begun to deteriorate. He is also experiencing headaches and pain. As a result, he has been unable to continue working as a farm laborer. Although the camp provides food rations, he needs income to buy more food for his family. During a visit from an eye specialist to the camp, Chit was advised to get a CT scan of his eye. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, has arranged for this to be performed on April 4. The CT scan will cost $414 and will provide detailed information about what is causing Chit's eye injury. This will assist his doctors in preparing an appropriate treatment plan. Chit says, "I hope to return to work to provide for my family and also start reading again."

Finy is a six-year-old girl from Cambodia. She has one sister and one brother. Finy likes to read her school books, play house, and be with her neighbors. She developed burn scar contractures on both feet, which tightened the skin around the burns. She went to a provincial hospital and a hospital in Phnom Penh for treatment, but her symptoms did not improve. It is difficult for Finy to walk, and she is in pain. Her parents heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), from a CSC staff member. Finy traveled six hours with her grandmother to reach CSC for treatment. On May 2, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release procedure to allow Finy to walk easily again. CSC is requesting $194 to fund the procedure.

Benita is a 55-year-old mother of four who stays home and cares for her grandchildren while her children are at work. She prepares meals for the whole family and does chores. She lives in the Philippines. After the birth of her fourth child, Benita experienced difficulty swallowing and a heavy feeling in her chest. She avoided seeking care because she knew the cost would be a burden on her family. Over time, her condition has gotten worse, and she now has a lump on her neck that is tender and painful. She has had this condition for six years. After a series of lab tests, Benita was diagnosed with a multinodular goiter, a thyroid condition in which the gland is swollen and produces excess hormones. She needs surgery to remove her thyroid gland and prevent her symptoms from getting worse. The cost of Benita's surgery, scheduled for February 8, is $1,500. Her husband works as a farm laborer and cannot afford this procedure, so they are seeking help from Watsi. "I really don't deserve this kind of blessing, but I am very grateful that I was given a privilege to be treated," Benita says. "Though we are not that rich, the simple joy and happiness given by my family, especially my grandchildren, are more than enough for a lifetime. This gift was just a bonus in my life, and I am thankful that you are giving me a chance to enjoy life more."

Raedan is a small two-year-old boy with a bloated belly. He lives with his family in a house made of bamboo and metal sheets. His mother works farming seaweed to earn a living. Raedan loves to play with his neighbors and friends. Raedan has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens Raedan's growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, he will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 21. Raedan 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. Raedan's grandmother says that she wants Raedan to grow healthy and strong and hopes that he can finish his studies.

Malaki is a 59-year-old hospital attendant from Malawi. He lives with his wife, and together they have five children. When not attending to his hospital duties, Malaki likes to farm maize and spend time with his wife. In July of 2016, Malaki noticed an uncomfortable mass on his chest. The mass began to cause him discomfort, so he traveled to our medical partner's care center, Nkhoma Hospital. It was discovered that he had an epigastric hernia, which occurs when tissue pushes through the abdominal wall. A repair surgery is scheduled for January 24. This treatment costs much more than Malaki and his wife can afford, so they were happy to learn about Watsi. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $327 to fund the treatment. "Thank you for introducing me to Watsi!" says Malaki.

Grace is a 19-year-old woman who lives with her parents and six siblings in Uganda. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music on the local radio station. Her parents are subsistence farmers who grow tea, bananas, beans, and millet for food. They sell the surplus for income to support their family. Grace visited our medical partner's care center, Bwindi Community Hospital, when she was pregnant with her first child. Her doctors learned that she had oligohydramnios, a condition in which there is too little fluid in the amniotic sac. They considered her pregnancy high-risk, so they encouraged her to deliver at Bwindi. On November 11, Grace checked into the hospital to await delivery. Grace weaves mats and baskets for a living. She needs help to fund this $241 care. Grace told our medical partner that she was looking forward to raising her new baby and sending him or her to school. Grace says, “I thank the people who are supporting the needy to have a safe delivery.”

Catherine is a 25-year-old mother from Uganda. She is married and has one child. Catherine and her husband have difficulty paying school fees for their daughter, who is in the top class in her nursery training. Catherine works as a farmer on a small plot of land to produce food for her family. With her husband, she cultivates beans, maize, cassava, and millet. During her free time, Catherine knits clothes to sell as a source of income. Catherine visited our medical partner when she was pregnant with her third child. Her previous two children were delivered by C-section. Due to her history, her doctors advised her to deliver again through C-section to prevent uterine rupture. On October 28, Catherine checked in to the hospital to await her delivery. She needs help to fund the $258 C-section that doctors will perform. After her delivery, Catherine hopes to recover, regain her energy, and continue looking after her family. She looks forward to nursing her baby and sending him or her to school. "May God bless the people supporting my operation," says Catherine.

Agaton is a 62-year-old corn and sugar cane farmer from the Central Region of Malawi. Agaton enjoys an active lifestyle of bicycling, working the maize mill, spending time with his sister and brother-in-law, and chatting with village friends. He came to our medical partner's hospital, Nkhoma District Hospital, due to an onset of urinary pain symptoms. Agaton was diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia, a condition involving prostate enlargement. Without treatment, Agaton's quality of life would decline, and he would be unable to support his family. Fortunately, on October 20, 2016, Agaton received surgery to treat this condition. Now, Agaton's family needs help to pay the $726 cost of the surgery. Agaton is "thankful to Watsi for helping with treatment."

Angelica is 10-years-old and lives with her five siblings and parents in a one-room house with a tin roof. Her father works as a day laborer, making only $3 per day. Her mother works taking care of Angelica and her siblings, cooking, and cleaning. Angelica has strabismus, a condition which means that she is unable to control the direction of both of her eyes. This condition has made her have trouble with depth perception and headaches, but more importantly has prevented her from going to school. After finishing the first grade, she got so worried about what others thought of her 'bad eye' that she stopped going. Although they want the best for Angelica, her parents cannot afford to pay for her surgery. This surgery will correct Angelica's strabismus, giving her better control of both of her eyes. This will alleviate her physical symptoms, as well as improve her self-esteem so she can continue to attend school. Angelica said, "This next year I would like to keep studying if my eye is better and I can see better. I want to continue studying and get a job, so I can earn money and support my parents. I appreciate the help that you can give me."

"I hope that my son can grow and be a good teacher when he's big," shares the mother of 19-month-old Jeffry. Jeffry is the youngest of three children. He lives with his siblings and parents in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof in a rural village in the mountains of Guatemala. He loves to race his toy cars with his older siblings. His father works as an assistant to a bricklayer and his mother takes care of him and his siblings. They often live on less than $2 per day, meaning giving their son even just one piece of fruit, one vegetable, and one egg is out of reach. Jeffry is suffering from malnutrition because his parents have not been able to afford to provide him with a healthy and varied diet. His lack of protein, calories, and nutrients have made him nearly three standard deviations below the healthy size for his age. His body is weak and unable to fight off sicknesses, meaning he comes down with diarrhea, fever, or a respiratory infection almost every week. His mother is worried since lately he has not had an appetite and hasn't had the energy to play with his two older siblings. In the long term, Jeffry could have a lower IQ and a greater risk for chronic diseases if he does not receive treatment for his malnutrition. Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation will help Jeffry recover from malnutrition - immediately saving his life and putting him on track to live a better life in the future. All of this treatment and medication costs $512. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will strengthen with the increased caloric intake, preventing him from having any life-threatening situations with diarrhea, fevers, and cough. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. Jeffry's parents will receive the support they need to give him the proper diet to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Jeffry the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.

10-year-old Robe, a boy from Ethiopia, was born with a birth defect of the urethra called hypospadias. That means the male urinary opening is not at the usual location on the head of the penis. Robe’s opening is away from the head of the penis. As a result of this he can’t urinate standing as any other boys. This condition affects him and his parents psychologically. They are worried about their son's condition. Robe parents live 300 kilometers from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His parents are poor farmers who are affected by the 2015, drought of El Nino weather phenomenon for about seven years now. They are now suffering severe poverty and they even get their food from government and other concerned bodies. And for this reason they can’t pay the medical bill. For $1155, Robe will undergo surgery to correct his hypospadias, allowing him to urinate properly and increasing his self-esteem.

Kheth is a 33-year-old moto taxi driver who lives with his wife and son in Cambodia. He enjoys playing football and helping his parents on their farm. Kheth began experiencing discharge from both of his ears when he was two years old. Frequent ear infections—known as chronic otitis media—caused tears in each ear's tympanic membrane. This has caused him recurrent ear discharge, hearing loss, and pain, and he was treated unsuccessfully with oral antibiotics and ear drops. The tympanic membrane—commonly known as the eardrum—is a thin membrane that separates the external ear structures from the middle and inner ear. It plays a major role in hearing by transmitting sound waves from the air to the middle ear, where the waves are converted to nerve impulses that travel to the brain. The eardrum also protects the middle ear from foreign objects, water, and bacteria. A tear in the eardrum can lead to hearing loss and increased the risk of infection. On January 4, 2016, Kheth underwent a myringoplasty—surgery to repair the tympanic membrane—on his right ear at Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). His right ear has healed well, and his hearing has already improved from that ear. Kheth still experiences recurrent ear discharge, hearing loss, and pain in his left ear. Surgeons will now perform a myringoplasty on the left ear to repair the perforated tympanic membrane, treat his infection, stop the pain and discharge, and allow his hearing to improve. $399 pays for Kheth's second myringoplasty as well as two days of hospital care and three follow-up appointments in the first month after the surgery. "I hope my ear discharge stops on the left side and my hearing will get better like my right ear," shares Kheth.