“After I receive surgery I will be able to go back to working in Bangkok to save money for my family,” shares Moe, a 32-hear-old woman. For the past 10 years, Moe has worked in Thailand as a domestic worker. She lives in her employer’s house and works six days a week. She sends the money she earns home to Burma to support her father and younger brother’s family. For this reason, she has not been able to save up any money for medical expenses. This has been a major problem lately. Four years ago, Moe started to feel unwell. She felt unusually fatigued and experienced occasional heart palpitations. In October of 2017, however, she had an especially frightening episode of heart palpitations and decided to visit a hospital in Bangkok. There, she received a diagnosis of mitral stenosis, meaning that a valve in her heart is not opening properly, which inhibits blood flow. If left untreated, this condition can lead to blood clots and heart failure. There is a surgical procedure that can correct the problem in Moe’s heart. However, she has been very anxious because she knows she cannot pay for it. She is also worried about how her family would survive without her income if she were to pass away. But there is hope for Moe. When we raise $1,500, we will be able to sponsor her operation on January 5, as well as her lab tests, medications, and 10-day hospital stay. “One day, it is my hope to move back to Burma to be with my family,” shares Moe. With your help, Moe will soon be healthy enough to be able to make that dream a reality.

Maria lives in rural Guatemala with her husband and five young children. She likes to spend time playing and talking with her children. Her husband works in agriculture, and Maria has many jobs––she works in the coffee harvest, sells in the markets, and manages her household. Recently, Maria received an abnormal pap smear result, a possible indicator of cervical cancer. While cervical cancer is rare in the United States and other developed countries, it is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women in Guatemala. On November 7, Maria underwent a colposcopy, which will indicate if she needs further treatment. Her medical team at our partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, will be able to provide personalized care. Maria needs help to pay for this $218 procedure. "I was not able to complete primary school, but I would like my children to be able to,” says Maria. “This is why I want to be healthy, to be able to help and care for my family."

Jane is a 49-year-old woman from a village in Malawi. She has five grown children and four grandchildren. She works as an office clerk for the city council of Lilongwe, Malawi's capital city. In her free time, she likes to relax and watch football matches. In April 2016, Jane started experiencing severe abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer. On November 22, she underwent a hysterectomy procedure. Jane needs help to fund this $643 surgery. She was relieved when she learned about Watsi. "I give thanks to Watsi," she says.

Three-month-old Rian was born with an abnormally shaped head, and quickly “came down with symptoms of irritability and slight paleness," explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). After seeking treatment near his home in Kenya, Rian was diagnosed with craniosynostosis -- a condition in which the joints between an infant’s skull bones are prematurely fused together. AMHF reports, “If left untreated, Rian will suffer from increased intracranial pressure, which in turn could result in developmental delays, brain damage, or even death.” Rian lives in Kenya with his single mother and grandmother, who do not have the means to provide funds for Rian's surgery. For $1,260, Rian will undergo a craniotomy, or the surgical removal of parts of the bone from the skull. The craniotomy will “relieve Rian’s risks of high intracranial pressure. Rian’s brain will have room to grow naturally," AMHF adds. “To just be told that all this treatment is going to be provided for my son gives me a massive sense of relief," Rian's mother shares. "I know that people truly care. It gives me hope that Rian will be well."