Futhai is a three-year-old boy and the youngest child in a family of two children. Futhai’s father is self-employed and repairs phones for a living to support their family. Futhai has been diagnosed with bilateral genu valgus, a condition in which the knees angle inward and touch one another when the legs are straightened. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Futhai has difficulty playing and running, and experiences pain in his knees. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Futhai receive treatment. On April 8th, he will undergo surgery at AMH's care center. Treatment will help restore Futhai's mobility, allowing him to participate in a variety of activities and greatly decreasing his risk of future complications. Now, he and his family need help raising $880 to fund his procedure and care. Futhai’s father shared, "we have tried feeding him high calcium foods, but it is not helping him."

Jephte is a sweet 3-year-old boy who lives with his parents in a small town in Northern Haiti. He loves playing with toys and watching cartoons. Jephte has a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. A hole exists between the two upper chambers of his heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him weak and short of breath. The care the Jephte needs is not available in Haiti, so he will fly to the Cayman Islands for treatment. On March 18th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will sew a patch over the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Their family has raised funds for his surgery, but they also need help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Jephte's family overseas. His mother shared, "Our family will be praying for everyone who is making this surgery possible for our son!"

Vanna is a 22-year-old driver. He has a brother and sister, and his mother works as a rice farmer. In his free time, Vanna enjoys listening to music, watching TV, playing games on his phone, and helping his mother with the housework. In October, Vanna was in a car accident that fractured his right femur and wounded his right foot. After the accident, he went to a government hospital, where he underwent surgery to address the fracture. However, Vanna is still experiencing a skin defect and swelling on his right heel. He was referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment, as he is experiencing pain and difficulty walking. When Vanna learned about CSC, he traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On February 8th, surgeons will perform a skin graft procedure to heal his wound and allow him to walk again. CSC is requesting $474 to fund his procedure. Vanna shared, "This treatment will help me return to work and help my family. My life will change because I will be able to use my right foot without pain again."

Rebecca is a very talkative and friendly woman. In September 2020, she noticed that her belly had started to increase in size and she thought she was pregnant. During one of the clinic visits, the doctor wanted to listen to the baby’s heartbeat but found there was nothing to listen to so they sent her for an ultrasound. The results revealed an ovarian cyst and her doctor advised her to seek for urgent review in a different facility. At the time, Rebecca did not have money to go for checkup. Her belly grew bigger as time went by and in August, her brother offered her help to support some of her hospital visits. She started visiting different hospitals but could afford them. Her brother recommended she try visiting Kijabe Hospital and upon arrival, she was examined and later was scheduled for surgery. Rebecca was employed as a tailor, but lost her job due to her health last April. Since loosing her job, she works doing casual jobs, like laundry work and cleaning houses and shops for people. In her new line of work, it is still hard to make ends meet and she shared that she now relies on her friends for connections to put food on the table. Learning that she might be able to have financial support for her surgery, Rebecca has new hope for the future. She said, "I’m very happy that at least there is some hope that I can get treated.”

Ma Zin is a 22-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her older sister, who works as a seamstress in a factory. Her parents and older brother live in Burma as well. Her father is retired, while her mother works as a day laborer and homemaker. In 2019, Ma Zin began feeling tired very often. She also began having heart palpitations and occasionally difficulty breathing. She was examined by a doctor who gave her medication and referred her to a local hospital for a chest x-ray. The doctor diagnosed her with heart disease, and prescribed medication to treat her symptoms. However, in January of 2021, Ma Zin began experiencing greater fatigue and difficulty breathing. She quit her seamstress job due to her condition and visited a local hospital where she received an echocardiogram. She was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD) and surgery was recommended. Fortunately, our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) is helping Ma Zin receive treatment. On December 19th, she will undergo an atrial septal defect closure at BCMF's care center. Now, she needs help raising $1,500 to fund her procedure and care. In talking about her dreams for the future, Ma Zin shared, "I want to become a designer in the future. I want to recover quickly so that I can go back to work. After I recover, I will learn how to design clothes and sew them myself. I will work hard for my family. I would like to see my parents smile and be happy. I would also like to live with my family in my village."

Nerold is a 5-year-old boy from Haiti. He is cherished by his family who want to see him healthy and active as he grows. Nerold has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Nerold underwent surgery but has been experiencing problems with a shunt he had placed 6 months ago. It began to malfunction causing him infection and severe pain from the increasing pressure in his head. Without treatment, Nerold will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Nerold at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on November 19th. This critical treatment will place a new shunt to drain the excess fluid from Nerold's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Nerold will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Nerold's mother shared that she was devastated when the original shunt stopped working. She is relieved that with this new surgery he will continue to have a chance for a happy life.

Malaso is a six-month-old baby girl and the youngest child in a family of three children. Her mother stays home with the children and her father is the sole breadwinner of their family. He sells maize and beans to provide for the family. A few days after Malaso was born, she was diagnosed with an anorectal malformation. She cannot pass stool and needs a needs a colostomy, or a procedure where the end of the colon is brought through an opening in the abdominal wall. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Malaso to receive treatment. On October 14th, she will undergo a colostomy at AMH's care center. Once complete, Malaso will hopefully be able to live more comfortably and confidently. Now, she and her family need help raising $1,152 to fund her procedure and care. Malaso’s father shared, "it has been hard for us to raise the transportation fees to the hospital for her treatment. It was a big blow for us financially when she developed a complication during her first surgery."

Roy is 1-year-old baby boy and the only child in his family. After he was born, his father stopped supporting Roy and his mother. Roy and his mother moved to his grandmother's home, and his grandmother sells farm products to sustain them. His mother is not able to work because Roy needs her attention, but sometimes she does some casual jobs when she can bring Roy along. The family does not have insurance and is asking for financial help. Two weeks after Roy was born, his mother noticed that his stomach was swollen and he was not passing stool. She rushed him to a nearby hospital for examination and Roy was urgently referred to another facility where he underwent a colostomy. His mother was informed that Roy was born with a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. He needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction. The facility Roy was at stopped offering surgeries and so he was referred to our medical partner's care center Bethany Kids Hospital for surgery. Roy is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct his condition on September 16th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Roy's procedure and care. After his recovery, Roy will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Roy’s mother says, “I would like my child to grow up healthy as other kids so that I can be independent and provide for him.”

Levina is a bright 10-year-old student. She is very social and loves to study. She is especially gifted in science and math! She is the youngest child in a family of four children. Her mother stays at home to care for the family. Although her father does not have permanent work, he owns a chainsaw and seeks lumber jobs as they are available during timber seasons. Levina is experiencing clubfoot in her left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. As a result, she has difficulty walking and wearing shoes. Due to the persistent pain of walking, she had to stop ​school to seek treatment for her left foot. Levina’s family traveled to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for her treatment. On August 13th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery that will allow Levina to walk easily. AMH is requesting $935 to fund this procedure. Levina’s mother shared, “We decided to stop her from going to school so that we can find treatment for her foot as it is troubling her so much in walking. Her treatment cost is too high for us to afford."

Johnson is a charming and playful toddler and the only child of his young parents. They are small scale farmers of maize, vegetable, sunflowers, and beans. It is through their harvest that the family is able to get food and earn money for other basic commodities. The little boy was diagnosed with genu varus, a condition typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, often stemming from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Johnson's legs bow outward at the knee. He has difficulty walking and experiences pain after playing or running around for longer periods of time. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Johnson. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 15th. Treatment will hopefully restore Johnson's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Johnson’s mother shares, "My child is having a hard time walking due to his legs being deformed. I would love for him to walk well like other children but the cost is too high for us to afford help us."