“I can see he is not well, and as a mother I feel there is nothing I can do to nourish him," shares Maikon's mother. "I do not have milk and we have no money for formula. I just want to give my child the best chance I can to grow well and go to school with his siblings.” Meet Maikon, an adorable two-month-old baby from Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, met Maikon when his mother was participating in their women’s health program. The medical team noticed that Maikon was “extremely small,” and upon further examination, “had very low energy.” Maikon’s father works as a day laborer on a farm, but is unable to afford the formula needed to ensure his son is able to grow and thrive. Wuqu’ Kawoq’s medical team reports, “Maikon’s mother feels guilty and frustrated for not being able to provide milk for her little one, and is committed to doing all she can to better his health. His siblings love to hold him and kiss his head, and at only 8 weeks old, he is already a large part of his family.” Thankfully, treating lactation failure is easy and effective. With $1,220 in funding, Wuqu’ Kawoq’s treatment plan will allow Maikon to recoup the weight he has lost and start to develop normally, reaching his full mental and physical potential. With this treatment, Maikon will avoid the harmful long-term effects of malnutrition and be able to thrive.

Meet Eliseo! A sweet one-year-old boy from Guatemala. Eliseo is rapidly losing weight due to malnutrition and severe diarrhea. This combination is one of the top killers of young children in Guatemala. Without treatment, Eliseo is likely to become permanently developmentally delayed, and may not survive past his fifth birthday. We can turn this around. For $525, Eliseo will receive intensive nutritional therapy that will help him gain weight and make sure he reaches key developmental milestones. Let's help Eliseo reach his full potential!

Ricardo has hydrocephalus, a condition that causes excess fluid to build up in the brain causing life-threatening seizures, fever, and brain swelling. Ricardo’s young mother is a cosmetology student who works hard providing beauty services in her community to support her son. "Ricardo is my first child and I don’t want to lose him,” she says. “I feel very grateful to the hospital for their help." With our support of $1,260, doctors at our partner hospital will perform surgery on Ricardo to drain the excess fluid from his brain. This procedure will alleviate Ricardo's symptoms and allow his head to grow into a normal shape. If Ricardo doesn't receive the surgery, more fluid will build on his brain causing harmful side effects. Let's help Ricardo get the surgery he needs to grow up healthy!

Elisha is a two-year-old boy from Tanzania who was born with a rare condition that makes it impossible for him to pass stool normally. As a result, Elisha requires a lot of care and attention and is unable to develop normally. Elisha's parents are doing their best to care for him, but as casual laborers earning very little money, they find it difficult to provide Elisha with the medical attention he needs to overcome his condition. His father told our medical partner, "I just pray that something can be done to help my boy be normal and grow like other children." For $1200, Elisha will undergo surgery to correct his condition and create a healthy anal opening for him. This operation will allow Elisha to fall into a normal routine. This will open so many doors for him - starting with allowing him to go to school with other kids and follow a normal development path. Let's give him the chance every child deserves to live a healthy life!