Ruth is pregnant with her first child. At only 16, she’s had to leave school temporarily to have her baby. Ruth hopes to deliver safely and recover fully so she can go back to school and be a healthy mom to her baby. Watsi Medical Partner, Lwala Community Alliance, submitted Ruth for funding to cover the cost of her safe delivery. The $215 includes prenatal care, education on nutrition and risk factors, birth in the hospital, and a post-natal checkup for Ruth and her baby. Reproductive health is the leading cause of death among women 15-44 worldwide. 99% of all maternal mortality occurs in the developing world, and 90% of these deaths are preventable. 1 in every 39 women in Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to die during childbirth. 15% of all pregnancies result in a potentially fatal complication during labor or delivery, and women in the developing world rarely have access to emergency medical care. -- Ruth answered the questions below in an interview with Watsi's Coordinator at Lwala. -- When is the baby due? -May 4th Any complications or hardship (challenges)? -I was in form 2 (sophomore year) and I had to leave due to my pregnancy. How many children already? -0 What does your family do to earn income? -I stay at home with my mother, she is a farmer. My father does not live with us, he stays in Nairobi. What have you learned in the maternal health program? -This is my first pregnancy, so I learned how to prepare for a baby and to save small amounts of money. They also taught me the importance of ANC (antenatal care) visits. What do you hope/pray for? -I hope to have a healthy baby delivered safely at the Lwala Hospital. I also hope to return to school and that there is money for my child to attend school too.

Vin is a 26-year-old guy from Cambodia with bilateral esotropia, a condition that causes his eyes to face inward and makes it difficult for him to see clearly. Vin is embarrassed about his condition, and says it has made it nearly impossible for him to find a job. As a result, he's had to resort to working on his grandmother's potato farm, but he doesn't make enough money to support himself. He desperately wants a new job, and he thinks that if his condition is corrected, he'll have a shot at landing one. In fact, he's already identified a garment factory near his house that he plans to apply to if his eye condition is corrected successfully. For $250 CSC can provide Vin surgery that will correct his estropia and give him a real shot at landing a better job and starting a new life for himself. We're rooting for you Vin!

Sisay is a bright boy who should be starting the first grade, but is being held back by a congenital condition that makes it impossible for him to walk. Sisay was born with a serious case of club foot, a deformity that occurs when the tarsal bones in the feet fail to separate, and the ligaments in the feet are too short to allow for normal movement. As a result, Sisay’s feet are twisted inward in such a tight, stiff position that they cannot be placed flat on the ground for walking. Club foot is treatable with surgery, but Sisay’s parents are farmers for whom the $1000 price tag for the procedure is unimaginable. They want their son to go to school, make friends, and have a chance at a normal and productive life, but they are stopped in their tracks by the cost of the medical care required to make that happen for him. Sisay loves playing with his brothers, and doctors at CURE describe him as “a happy child” despite his condition. We hope to cover the cost of his care so he can live a healthy life.

Samjhana hopes to one day become a teacher and help her community, a mountainous area in Nepal where the average person lives on less than $1 a day. She loves studying science, running, and playing volleyball, and like most teenaged girls, just wants to fit in. Last year, Samjhana began experiencing severe abdominal pain. Her mother was extremely worried. She was unable to stop crying when she brought her to Nyaya Health’s facility for help. When doctors at Nyaya examined Samjhana, they discovered that she has an anatomical genital deformity that, if left uncorrected, will threaten her reproductive health for the rest of her life. This is a serious condition that can be treated with surgery, but Samjhana’s family is nowhere near able to pay for the kind of specialized care she needs. With treatment, Samjhana’s doctors are confident that she will be able to live a normal, healthy life. We need to raise $1245 to cover the cost of Samjhana’s surgery, medication, and travel.

Twelve-year-old Joy has been through a lot in her short life. She contracted meningitis when she was two years old, and it spread to her brain. She went into a coma for three days, and her parents struggled to scape together enough money to keep their young daughter alive. When she woke up, Joy was completely paralyzed and unable to talk. Incredibly, in the last ten years, Joy has remained positive and driven despite her challenges. Through grueling hard work and perseverance, she has slowly regained the use of her muscles. Over time, Joy has even recovered her ability to speak. The one thing that Joy has been unable to overcome in the last ten years is her inability to walk. While she’s made great progress in strengthening her muscles, years of paralysis left Joy’s feet deformed, making it extremely painful for her to put weight on them. Joy’s family exhausted itself financially to save her life from meningitis. In a community where the average person makes less than $2 a day, even the most basic medical care is often ridiculously far out of reach, let alone the kind of specialized surgery that Joy needs to fully overcome the challenges she’s endured. Joy has spent the majority of her life working towards normalcy, and we have a chance to help make it happen for her. We need to raise $1000 to cover the cost of Joy’s surgery at CURE International. With treatment, her doctors believe she will be able to walk pain-free and one day live a normal life.

In the email introducing us to her, our Medical Partner says, “Angel is as her name suggests, an angel, beautiful and bright eyed.” Angel has a big personality. She lives with her mother and her two siblings, and she says she wants to be a tailor when she grows up. Angel’s bright future is threatened, however, by an awful accident. When Angel was eight months old, her mother left her with her father while she went out to buy ingredients for dinner. Angel’s father wasn’t paying attention, and while Angel was playing, a kerosene lamp fell on her bed. Angel’s mother came home to find her young daughter’s feet on fire. She immediately covered them in a blanket and rushed her to the hospital, where Angel received first aid. However, her mother couldn’t afford any medical care beyond what she had already received. Five years later, simply because she was born into a community where the average income is less than $2 a day and she was unable to access proper medical care, Angel's burns have developed into scar contractures that make it impossible for her to walk. Doctors at African Mission Healthcare Foundation believe that with contracture release surgery, Angel will regain normal use of her feet. We need to raise the $1500 it will take to cover the cost of Angel’s surgery so that, despite this accident, she is able to live a normal life.

Ezekiel is a 13-year-old boy with a deformed left foot. Because of his condition, Ezekiel walks using his toes and experiences severe pain when walking long distances. Without treatment, it will be impossible for Ezekiel to walk normally or live an active life. Fortunately, doctors at African Mission Healthcare Foundation can perform surgery to correct Ezekiel’s condition. They expect the procedure will relieve his pain and enable him to walk. Ezekiel comes from a small village. He was referred to this program specifically because of his family’s inability to pay for his medical care. Ezekiel’s doctors look forward to treating him so he can live a normal, healthy life.

Salama is a 15-year-old girl with a serious foot deformity. If left untreated, it will likely prevent her from walking normally or living an active life. Fortunately, doctors at CURE can perform surgery to correct Salama’s condition. With surgery, they believe they can make a life-long impact on her. Salama is a sweet girl who has won the hearts of everyone at the CURE Hospital. Her doctors told us: “When we met Salama she instantly won us over. We caught her playing big sister to some of the younger kids today while she awaits her scheduled surgery, and again our hearts melted. Please join us in helping this sweet girl as she goes through surgery and continues on the healing journey!”

Yishak is a 1-year-old boy with a serious foot deformity. If left untreated, Yishak’s deformity could prevent him from being able to walk. Fortunately, doctors at CURE Hospital in Ethiopia can perform surgery to correct Yishak’s condition. With treatment, they are confident that he “can live a full and productive life.” Yishak and his mother traveled 4 hours to seek medical care at CURE. His mother tried once before to get her son treated, but she was turned away because the clinic didn’t have the equipment needed to help him. Yishak’s mother is hopeful that her son will make a full recovery and live a normal life.