Saitoti is an eight-day-old infant from a family of five children in Tanzania. His father passed away last year, and his mother lives alone with the children. Shortly after Saitoti's birth, his mother noticed that something was wrong and took him to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. He was diagnosed with spina bifida, a defect in which the spinal cord is exposed through a gap in the backbone. If left untreated, Saitoti is at risk of acquiring infections and paralysis of the lower limbs. Fortunately, his repair surgery is scheduled for January 16. Saitoti's mother is currently unemployed and is therefore unable to pay for the surgery. For this reason, our medical partner is requesting $1,200 to fund the treatment. "I hope that my child will be able to grow like other children and go to school," Saitoti's mother says.

Sonyta is a 5-year-old kindergartner from Cambodia with one older sister. She likes to play with toy cars. Sonyta's family knew about Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) because Sonyta's cousin had surgery here before. She spent one hour traveling with her mother to reach CSC for treatment. Sonyta developed a chalazion in each eye about one week ago causing swelling. It is difficult for her to go to school and she feels uncomfortable with how it looks when she leaves her home. For $148, Sonyta will undergo chalazion surgery. Doctors at CSC will remove the cyst from each eye, making Sonyta comfortable again.

Sunita, an 11-year-old girl from Nepal, developed an abscess on her fingers about seven days ago. The abscess (a collection of pus in the tissue) on her hand has been extremely painful. Her hand has become quite swollen. Sunita's brother explains that they attempted to treat the wound with herbal medicine for five days, but it did not heal. Instead, her hand started swelling and her brother finally decided to visit a hospital run by Watsi's medical partner, Possible. The trip to the hospital took them three hours by jeep. Sunita lives with her parents and siblings and is currently in the third grade. Her family is entirely dependent on agriculture for their living. The yield from the field sustains them for about six months of the year. Due to the variable nature of their income, Sunita's family needs assistance to cover the cost of treatment. Sunita requires a $157 incision and drainage procedure to clean out the infected area. After the operation, she will need to apply a hygienic dressing regularly to keep the wound clean. This procedure will cure the abscess, allow Sunita to use her hand again without pain, and prevent future complications from the infection. "I wish she gets good treatment," says Sunita's brother. Let's help fund this important procedure!

Meet Samjhana, an active 12-year-old girl from Nepal who studies in grade two. Her parents tend to the family farm for a living, and when the family's finances are struggling, her father migrates to India to work as a laborer. Samjhana was recently playing with friends on a rope swing when it broke, and she landed on her right wrist. Ever since then, her wrist has been swollen and in constant pain. She has missed school to come to the hospital for treatment and requires daily help with eating and dressing. Samjhana arrived at the Bayalpata Hospital in search of Watsi's medical partner, Possible, for support. $195 will cover necessary medications and closed fracture orthopedic surgery. Once pins or rods set Samjhana's wrist bones in place, her fracture will heal correctly. Physical therapy and time will help her recover quickly. Samjhana's uncle shares, "I hope her treatment happens soon." Let's support Samjhana and her family, so that she may return to school pain-free and receive an excellent education.

Ten-month old Gerald lives with his parents and six older brothers and sisters in Uganda. He is a very lively baby, and is starting to learn to walk. His family loves to play ball with him, and listen to him try to speak words like "Mama" and "Papa". For several days now, Gerald has had a bad case of pneumonia, causing him trouble breathing and also high fevers. Furthermore, he has had a rash for several months and may also have mild malnutrition. Gerald needs hospital care. Unfortunately, his parents' incomes as a farmer and carpenter are not enough to pay for his hospital stay. Though many infections such as pneumonia are simple to treat with antibiotics, many rural Ugandans do not have access to these medicines. Instead, they often must rely on local herbs. Let's help Gerald and his family raise $106 to pay for his hospital care, so that the doctors and nurses can provide him with the proper antibiotics and medical support he needs. Without this care, Gerald's infection could worsen and cause other complications. Gerald's mother is very excited for her youngest child to receive medical treatment. She belongs to a women’s cooperative that works together to help tend to each other's fields, and she works very hard to support her family. She is happy when her children are doing well. “Thank you very much for the support of my child," she says. "With seven children it is very expensive to go to the doctor.”

Six-year-old Kabi lives in Nepal with his parents and siblings. His family sustains themselves by farming, and the yield from working the field is enough to support them for about six months of the year. One day when Kabi was playing with his friends, he was pushed to the ground and fell on a rock, breaking his left hand. Since then it has been causing him a significant amount of pain, and has gotten considerably swollen as well. He needs help with his everyday tasks-- even just eating and getting dressed. After being taken to the local health post near his village, Kabi was referred to Possible for a surgical treatment. He traveled nearly seven hours walking with his family to reach the hospital from his house. For $541, doctors will perform surgery to reposition the bones in his wrist and hand. Then his arm will be kept fixed in a cast for several weeks while the bones heal in their proper place. After surgery, Kalbi will also receive physiotherapy sessions where his parents will learn exercises to help him regain full function in his arm. Even though it may be difficult for him in the beginning, these exercises are important for him to have a full and speedy recovery. Kalbi's family is very excited for him to receive surgery. "I'm so glad that Kabi is getting his treatment soon," shares his father.

Six-year-old Raijie has lived with a hernia for five years now. Apart from the condition, Raijie is a happy and active boy from the Philippines. He loves to play basketball with his brother and cousins. Even in his young age he is very responsible -- he looks after his grandfather when his parents are away from home. Raijie's father is the one earner for the family. He works as a painter, but on a contractual basis, and only earns $60/month which is barely enough to meet the needs of the family. Raijie was brought in for consultation and underwent a series of tests, after which he was diagnosed with a hernia and was advised to have surgery. His family, however, is unable to afford the $465 cost. ''I am thankful that you have reached our community, because if not, we can't access heath care nor consultation for Raijie and the possible operation," explains his mother. "But because of you, we have the hope that Raijie will be healed from his condition. I really look forward that Raijie will live normally just like other kids his age."

"I have a dream that she will one day graduate from school and have a career," shares the mother of 20-month-old Rachel. Rachel, who lives in Guatemala with her family, was recently funded on Watsi for her developmental delays. She is a little girl with special needs but, with therapy, has been able to learn how to walk and stand with help. Unfortunately, staff at Watsi's medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, have noticed that her strabismus has not improved as she has gotten older, making it necessary for her to have corrective glasses. Children with strabismus have difficulty seeing, headaches, and loss of depth perception if they do not receive treatment while they are still very young. Rachel has strabismus since the muscles in her right eye do not work properly, making her eye drift away from whatever she is looking at. It's important that Rachel gets glasses to correct her problem while she is still very young because she will be much more likely to be cured of her problem, helping her to avoid corrective surgery, and to prevent future vision problems. Rachel is the second daughter in her family. Her family has few resources - her mother works every day to cook, clean, and take care of Rachel and her siblings. She has been unable to get a job because of Rachel's special needs, which requires her to stay at her with her all day. Her father does not have a steady income - he works odd jobs as a driver and an assistant to a bricklayer, but often has weeks without work - leaving them with an average income of only a couple dollars per day. Her family often has trouble affording basics such as food and wood to boil water, so affording life-changing strabismus treatment is a luxury they cannot afford. This treatment, which costs $366, will allow Rachel to see an ophthalmologist in the capital, something which is only available in private hospitals, which do not offer financial support for their patients. She will have custom-made corrective glasses which will train her muscles in her eye to be able to focus correctly, giving her the ability to fixate on objects with both eyes. This treatment will change her life, giving her the ability to one day have normal vision and be successful in school!

Six-year-old Navaraj is a student from Nepal who enjoys playing volleyball with his neighborhood friends. While his mother looks after the farm and the family, his father works in India to support the family back home. One day, Navaraj was playing with his little brother on the porch of his house when he slipped and fell down, fracturing his right elbow. "It was raining, and the porch was slippery," explains Navaraj's father about the conditions leading to his son's injury. Thankfully, because his father had come home on holiday, Navaraj could be brought to the hospital right away. "It would've been difficult for his mother to leave behind the cattle, the farm, our younger son and bring him all the way to the hospital," his father added. Since the accident, Navaraj has been in a lot of pain and has been vomiting, too. Naturally, his parents are concerned about his condition. "I am worried that this injury will hinder my son's mobility," shares Navaraj's father. For $579, Navaraj will undergo surgery to align his fractured elbow and hold the bones together with pins. Funding also covers the costs of four nights in the hospital, X-rays, physiotherapy, medicine to relieve pain and prevent infection, and cast removal after Navaraj’s elbow has healed. Let's help fund surgery for Navaraj!