Barkot is a nine-month-old baby boy from Ethiopia who loves to play with his parents and with toys. He is his parents' first child. Barkot's father is a salesperson in an electronics shop. The family lives in a rented house, and other relatives help support the family's needs. Barkot underwent a colostomy, where a piece of the colon was diverted to an opening in the abdominal wall. This surgery is often performed to bypass bowel malformations, but colostomies are usually temporary and may require closure. Barkot's colostomy will require closure in order to restore his bowel function and to prevent future complications. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,009 to cover the cost of a colostomy closure for Barkot. The surgery is scheduled to take place on September 14th and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Barkot’s father shared, “Barkot’s mother is not working now. When Barkot finishes the surgery and when he can make a stool normally, we hope she will start working. We hope psychologically we will be stable just like before. We hope he can socialize now. We feared socializing with Barkot because of facing stigma and discrimination. We feared people might pick on him when he grows up and we hid him from others to protect him.”

Kry is a 70-year-old motor taxi driver. He has one daughter and five grandchildren. Kry lives with his wife who used to work as a rice farmer, but now stays home to watch the grandchildren. Kry enjoys listening to the monks praying on the radio. Six years ago, Kry developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him sensitivity to light, blurry vision, and tearing. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Kry learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two hours with his wife seeking treatment. On June 11th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Kry shared, "I hope after surgery I can see well so I can go outside easily by myself and help my wife with housework and the grandchildren. I want to be able to drive my motorbike too."

Jackline is a nine-year-old student who does well in school and enjoys helping with household chores. Her favorite subject in school is Kiswahili. Jackline's mother is a housewife, while her father is a casual laborer who works at construction sites. Three years ago, Jackline was playing at home with friends when she fell and injured her left leg. She was taken to a nearby hospital where her leg was casted, but since then, she has been limping and experiences pain in her hip. She is unable to walk well or play with her friends, and the pain has affected her schooling. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Jackline to receive treatment. She visited AMH's care center for an orthopedic consultation and is scheduled to undergo an osteotomy on July 15th. The procedure will improve Jackline's mobility. Now, AMH is requesting $1,224 to fund Jackline's procedure. Jackline's mother shared, “I would like to see my daughter walking and continue with her normal life."

Em is an 18-year-old student who just graduated from 12th grade. In the future, he hopes to be a businessman. He has three brothers and one sister, and he enjoys playing tennis, football, and listening to pop songs in his free time. Em has stiff knees due to poorly administered injections in his right and left quadriceps muscles when he was younger. It is difficult for him to walk because he cannot bend his legs. Fortunately, his neighbors recommended our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). On June 8th, surgeons at CSC will perform a contracture release surgery to release the muscle contractures and allow Em to walk easily. Now, his needs help to fund this $454 surgery. Em shared, "I hope I can walk properly after this operation so I can do my daily activities independently."

Chivorn has been married for three years and both he and his wife work in a factory near their home. In his free time Chivorn enjoys playing football, listening to the news, watching TV, and taking his wife to the market. Two months ago Chivorn was in an accident and fell from a chair, sustaining an injury on his left elbow. At first he received treatment from a Khmer traditional healer but his pain did not go away. A neighbor told him to visit our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). He presented with pain and limited range of motion of his left arm. He cannot work with his left hand. Surgeons at CSC will perform and open reduction for Chivorn to heal and regain use of his arm. Chivorn said, "I hope I can heal quickly so I can return to work. I am thankful for my treatment so that I can get better."

Mbabazi is a a 50-year-old farmer and mother of seven children, two of whom are currently in school. Both she and her husband work hard at farming to make ends meet and pay for their children's school fees. Twelve years ago, Mbabazi began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling, breathing and swallowing problems. She has tried different oral medications including traditional medicines to no avail. At Nyakibale Hospital, she had a scan done, revealing a multinodular goitre that requires surgery. Successful surgery will reduce the chances of complications including neck swell and breathing problems. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mbabazi receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on April 6th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Mbabazi shared, “I hope the neck swelling will be over and at least my breathing and swallowing difficulties shall be over. I will continue caring for my family after full recovery.”

Lucas is a playful four-month-old baby boy and the youngest child in a family of five children from his mother. His parents are small scale farmers of maize and vegetables for their food and they also keep livestock for a living, which allows them to get milk. Given the remoteness of their village, they shared that life is very difficult; meeting basic needs and access to health services are big challenges. Lucas 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, Lucas traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on April 2nd. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Lucas's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when he grows up. Lucas’s father shared, "we have no means of raising money to afford our son’s treatment cost. We will be very grateful if you can help correct his feet."

In late January, the Muinde family from Kenya was blessed with their firstborn child, a daughter they named Emmaculate. Emmaculate's mother works in a mobile money shop and Emmaculate's father has a small electronics shop. They live in a small rented house in Nakuru, and are able to use their income to cover most of their family's basic needs. They learned that Emmaculate was born with a rare form of craniosynostosis, which meant that her eyes were not fully formed and her pupil was not visible in both of her eyes. A few days after her birth, Emmaculate was reviewed at her local clinic, and the doctor referred Emmaculate to a nearby facility for further examination. Ultimately, Emmaculate was seen by the doctors at our Medical Partner Care Center BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital (BKKH). On March 1st, Emmaculate will undergo a craniotomy in order to release the pressure in her brain. However, Emmaculate’s parents are not able to cover the amount needed for her surgery. Emmaculate’s father says, “When I was told about my child’s condition and the treatment required, my heart sank as we could not afford any of this treatment. As a family, we are requesting financial help.”

Di is a 40-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her parents, her husband, her brother, and her two children in Mae La Refugee Camp in Tak Province. Di and her family work hard to make ends meet. Her family runs a small shop selling kitchen utensils. Di's husband is a religious teacher, and he does not earn regular income. Her brother is unemployed, and her parents are retired. Di helps with the family shop while her daughter goes to the community school that is led by volunteers. Her youngest son is too young to go to school. She shared that their family income is enough for family expenses, but they are not able to save any money. Around two years ago, Di was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. Currently, she experiences pain under her chest and her abdominal around umbilical is swollen and pain. Di is not able to do any household chores because of her condition. The pain worsens after she has meals or constipation, and her stomach will feel as hard as a stone. Fortunately, on January 19th, Di will undergo hernia repair surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital, our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Di's hernia repair surgery. Once completed, the procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and be well enough to care for her family. Di shared, “Once I am better, I will try my best to take care of my family and my children's education. I want them to study in Thai school. They need to be educated, so I need to be healthy."

Kelvin is a 13-year-old boy from from Nyeri County in Central Kenya. He is a humble and calm child, and the 4th born in a family of six children. His mother is a farmer, while his father passed on 6 years ago after a long illness. At school, Kelvin is in Class 3 at Karangi Primary School. His teacher says he is a bright boy and performs well in class. Kelvin is actually supposed to be in Class 8 but, because of the condition of his feet, he has not been able to advance in his education as quickly. Kelvin was born with bilateral clubfoot, which was neglected and not treated earlier on. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, and causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Though he was taken to a hospital in the area to seek treatment, he could not initially undergo surgery due to lack of money. Now, Kelvin faces difficulty as he walks because his feet knock each other and causes him to fall every time. Unfortunately, this has affected his self-esteem when he sees other people playing and he cannot join. In March 2020, Kelvin underwent left triple arthrodesis surgery supported by Watsi donors and the procedure corrected his foot perfectly. Now, he is scheduled to undergo a right triple arthrodesis, a surgery to correct his right foot so he can walk well with both feet. Fortunately, Kelvin traveled back to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on him on January 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Kelvin's clubfoot repair. This surgery will be very impactful as he will be able to wear both shoes, walk well, and play with friends. Kelvin will also be able to continue with his studies without any hindrances. His mother asks for support for his second surgery. Kelvin's mother shared, “We are grateful to God for the support we received from Cure Hospital through the Watsi donors. I have seen great improvement with my son and am looking forward to seeing him walking like other children. God bless you and continue with the good work you do of helping needy families to have surgery. God bless you."