Two-week-old Peter is the first born son to his parents who live in a single-rental house in Kenya. His mother is a housewife and his father is a public transport driver. Peter was diagnosed with a condition called hyrdocephalus. This blockage of the pathways of cerebrospinal fluid causes water accumulation within the brain, resulting in increased pressure in the head. Although the term was new to Peter's parents, on the news they had seen other children who have large heads-- the primary symptom of hydrocephalus. They never thought that this would happen to their first and only child. Peter needs surgery in order to prevent the pressure in his head from continuing to build up and causing his head to grow. Unfortunately, despite attempts to raise enough money for the operation, the costs of treatment are more than Peter's family's income can support. The little income they have is just sufficient to cater for the few basic needs of the family. Furthermore, conditions like Peter's are often associated with witchcraft in the culture of their village. His parents are worried that if he does not receive treatment, they will be ostracized and alienated within their community. Let's help Peter's parents raise $615 to cover the costs of his surgery where doctors will use a shunt to divert the excess fluid in his head to his abdomen. There the fluids can be easily reabsorbed, which will relieve the pressure in Peter's brain and prevent future swelling. “Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better. That is something I have learnt from Watsi," Peter's mother shares. "I am comforted to know that all will be well and we are in the right place for this to happen.”

Marvin is just under one year old, and the youngest of three children. He lives with his siblings in a one-room cinderblock house with a tin roof in Guatemala. He loves to play with his ball, his toy cars, and his small toy motorcycle. His father works as a bricklayer and his mother works at home taking care of him and his siblings--most days they live on only a couple dollars, unable to buy even one fruit, vegetable, or egg per day for Marvin. Marvin has not been growing taller or gaining weight because he is malnourished. His body has not been receiving the nutrients and energy it needs to grow, not only leaving him very small for his age, but also weakening his immune system. In the past two weeks alone, he has suffered from diarrhea, a fever, and a bad cough--leaving him without an appetite and without the energy to play. In the long term, he could face a low IQ and chronic diseases if he does not receive treatment. Although Marvin is very sick, treatment is simple. His parents will receive in-home nutrition classes to teach them about what diet Marvin needs to be healthy. He will be a part of our growth monitoring program, ensuring he is responding well to treatment, and will receive food supplements and micronutrients to improve his diet and give him the energy he needs to play and grow. This treatment will give Marvin the chance to be a healthy baby, helping him grow, strengthening his immune system, and putting him on track to live a healthy and full life and escape the cycle of poverty and malnutrition he is currently caught in.

Keo is a 29-year-old rice farmer who lives with her husband and two daughters in Cambodia. She enjoys cooking food and taking care of her kids at home. In her free time, she plants vegetables around her home. When Keo was 10 years old, she developed an ear infection in her left ear. The recurring infection—medically known as chronic otitis media—perforated her tympanic membrane (eardrum) and causes daily ear discharge, ear pain, and hearing loss. "I am unhappy that I have ear pain, and it is difficult to communicate with other people," Keo shares. "I spend a lot of my money buying medicine but I still have ear pain and discharge." Keo traveled five hours in a taxi with her youngest sister to reach Children's Surgical Centre for treatment of her ear. For $423, ear, nose, and throat surgeons will perform a myringoplasty, a surgical procedure to repair the tear in Keo's eardrum. Funding also pays for up to two days of hospital care and three follow-up appointments in the first month after surgery. After surgery, Keo's ear discharge will stop, and her hearing can improve over time.

15-month-old Miloury was born with a cardiac defect called an aortopulmonary fistula, in which a hole exists between the two major blood vessels that connect to the heart. Blood leaks through this hole, depriving Miloury's body of the oxygen she needs and leaving her sickly and weak. Miloury lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her mother, father, grandmother, and several other relatives. Her parents are both currently seeking work. She is a happy baby who likes to wear dresses and have her hair braided. For $1,500 (and with an additional $5,000 subsidy from Have a Heart Cayman Islands), Miloury will receive the heart surgery she needs. "I am excited to know that Miloury will be a normal child after she can have her surgery," her mother shared.