Ivan is an 11-month-old baby who is very energetic. He is now at the crawling stage, and from the moment he arrived at our medical partner's care centre, Ivan has not stopped crawling from one point to another. Ivan lives with both his parents. His father is a small-scale farmer, and the sole provider for the family, while his mother stays at home taking care of household chores. He is very close to his mother, but also not afraid to meet new people. His mother enjoys watching him move around. She has struggled to find treatment for him since he was a newborn baby. When Ivan was born, his parents tried their best to pay for his treatment, but halfway through the treatment plan, they could not afford to pay anymore. Ivan has clubfoot of his right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and wearing shoes as he grows. Fortunately, Ivan's family came to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on November 8th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Ivan's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily when he grows up. Ivan’s mother says, “my biggest wish is to see my son learn how to stand and eventually start walking.”

Chris is an adorable 19-month-old baby from Tanzania. He is the youngest of two children in his family. Chris’s parents are both small-scale farmers of corn, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables, which they use to feed their family. However, they also sell whatever they do not eat in order to earn some income. When Chris was born, his mother immediately noticed that his right foot was twisted out of shape. This is because he has clubfoot of his right foot, which caused this to occur and makes it difficult to walk and wear shoes. When his mother took him to receive a vaccination, she was referred to another hospital for treatment, but she shared that he could not undergo it due to financial constraints. She then sought the help of a local traditional doctor, who tried to heal his condition through massages and herbal medications, but they saw no effective change. Fortunately, Chris's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Chris's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily. Chris's mother shares, “We couldn’t find the money to take him to the hospital, and that’s why he is still this way. We have no other means.”

Peter is a 75-year-old man from central Kenya who has never been married and has no children. He is the thirdborn in a family of 10 siblings, all of whom are now adults. Peter previously worked on his small farm to support his basic needs, but he had to begin depending on his family members once he grew older and became unable to continue farming. On July 12th, Peter was hit by a sports motorcycle, causing him to sustain an injury to his left leg. An X-ray was taken at a nearby hospital, which showed that Peter fractured his left tibia and fibula. If left untreated, he risks developing a bone infection, since it is an open fracture. His injury can also result in a malunion, meaning the bones may not heal in their proper position, potentially impairing functioning of the bones and limb. Fortunately, his brother brought him to our medical partner's care center. On August 15th, Peter will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help ensure he heals properly, and it will allow him to walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. Peter says, “My brothers have been feeding me, but this is too much for them. They have no money to pay for my treatment. Please help so that at least I can be able to move around and also become less of a burden.”

Dibora is a smiley and playful 13-month-old baby girl from Ethiopia. Her father is a farmer and her mother is a housewife. She has three older siblings and loves to eat and to play with her family. Dibora was born with an anorectal malformation, a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. Due to her condition, she developed a bowel obstruction and an emergency colostomy procedure was performed. She has had a number of complications due to this procedure, and requires an additional procedure to correct her condition. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Dibora receive treatment. On September 8th, she will undergo corrective surgery at AMH's care center. After her recovery, Dibora will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Now, she and her family need help raising $1,500 to fund her procedure and care. Dibora's mother shared, "Once Dibora has recovered and is healed of this condition, I want to take care of her and her siblings well."

Yeang is a 40-year-old tailor with one daughter and two sons. When she is not working as a tailor, she is busy at home doing laundry, cleaning, and sleeping. Six months ago, Yeang had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in both ears to perforate. For this reason, she experiences ear pain, discharge, and hearing difficulties. All of this makes it hard for her to communicate with others and focus at work. Fortunately, Yeang traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On July 7th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in both ears. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforations. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $914 to fund this procedure. This covers supplies, treatment, and inpatient care. Yeang says, "I am hopeful my hearing will improve, the pain will stop, and I can sleep well again after this surgery."

Chrismarlie is a 13-year-old student from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three siblings in a city on the northern coast of Haiti. Her father is a school administrator, and her mother is a homemaker. Chrismarlie shared that she enjoys going to school and listening to music with her friends. Chrismarlie has a cardiac condition called pulmonic stenosis, which means one of her heart valves is too tight, making it difficult for blood to pass through and leading to heart failure. The surgery that she needs is not available in Haiti, but fortunately, Chrismarlie will be able to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On July 29th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which the surgeons will widen the heart valve so that blood can flow through it more easily. Chrismarlie's family is raising funds to cover the costs of her surgery prep, as our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), is contributing funds to help cover the cost of surgery. The $1,500 will support her surgery prep, which includes all labs, medication, check-ups and follow-up appointments, and the passports needed for HCA's social workers to accompany Chrismarlie and her family overseas. Chrismarlie said, "I would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping to fix my heart problem!"

Dennis is a newly married, 20-year-old motorbike taxi driver. Dennis' wife is currently unemployed, so Dennis' earnings need to sustain his family. On April 14th, Dennis was involved in a road accident while riding his motorbike. He was diagnosed with a closed fracture of his femur, put in traction, and sent home from the hospital to heal. A clinical officer at our medical partner's hospital who knows Dennis reviewed his X-ray, and after consulting with another surgeon, it was determined that Dennis requires surgery in order for his fracture to heal properly. Currently, it is difficult for Dennis to walk, and he is still in constant pain. Dennis shared that this was not how he had hoped to begin married life. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner's care center, Nazareth Hospital, can help. On June 2nd, Dennis will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This operation will enable Dennis' fracture to heal without deformity or malunion. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. “This is not the way I expected to start my family. I had planned to work hard, but this accident has interrupted that. It is one month now since the accident, and my leg is not well yet. I pray that I may get help, and have this surgery done so that my leg can be well soon to resume working for my new family,” Dennis said.

Lhory, a 30-year-old woman from the Philippines, experienced severe right-side abdominal pain starting in January. She went to the closest hospital and was advised to undergo a whole abdominal ultrasound. The test showed that she has gallstones that need to be surgically removed. With her husband’s limited income as an Air Conditioner Technician, they’re unable to cover the cost of her treatment. Fortunately, she was able to reach out to our medical partner, the World Surgical Foundation Philippines. Lhory is now scheduled on May 3rd to undergo surgery to treat her condition. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,253 to cover the total cost of Lhory’s procedure and care. After her recovery, Lhory will no longer experience severe abdominal pain or be at risk of developing severe health complications in the future. “My current condition hinders me from doing my usual day-to-day chores. My condition makes it hard for me to bend, sit or lift objects," Lhory shared. "We don’t have the capacity to finance my surgery. So, I’d like to thank the World Surgical Foundation Philippines and Watsi for helping me. I hope that after this surgery, I can fully take care of my family again,” says Lhory.

Aljahnie is a four-year-old boy from the Philippines. He loves to play with toy cars, to sing nursery rhymes, and to listen to songs. His mother is a stay-at-home mom, and his father is a jeepney driver. Despite working hard, they are unable to finance his medical needs. Aljahnie was born with an anorectal malformation, a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. He needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction. Aljahnie is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct his condition on March 17th. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,279 to cover the total cost of Aljahnie's procedure and care. After his recovery, Aljahnie will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. "By the grace of God, and extra caution, we hope that his condition will be much better after this treatment. We are very grateful to World Surgical Foundation and WATSI for helping us," shared Aljahnie’s mother.