Deborah is a nine-year-old student from Haiti. She lives with her parents, several siblings, and her grandparents. She enjoys singing and listening to music in her free time. Deborah has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect, where a hole exists between the two upper chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without properly circulating through her body, leaving her feeling sick and weak. To receive treatment, Deborah will fly to Dominican Republic. On March 2nd, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in her heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is also contributing $8,000 to pay for her surgery. Deborah's family needs help raising money to fund the costs of her surgery prep. The $1,500 prep bill covers labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner who will accompany Deborah's family overseas for her surgery. Deborah's father shared, "our family has been praying for years for this surgery to happen, and would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping!"

Misael is a smiley nine-month-old baby boy from Venezuela. His family moved to Medellín in Colombia after he was born, where his father works in construction and his mother is caring for Misael and dedicated to giving him all of her love. His smile is contagious and his energy is endless! Misael has clubfoot on his left foot. Clubfoot is a congenital musculoskeletal condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and wearing shoes. Misael and his family traveled to visit our medical partner, Clínica Noel, where they can offer him the life-changing treatment he needs. Fortunately, on March 14th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery to correct his foot. Our medical partner is raising $1,422 to help fund Misael's surgery. After treatment, he will be able to walk and wear shoes as he grows up and eventually run around and play with his friends! His mother said, "Thank you so much for everything you are doing, being in Medellín and finding you has been a blessing."

Precious is a 3-year-old girl with a contagious smile. She is the youngest of four children in her family. Precious’ father is a bus driver and her mother is a housewife. Since Precious was born, she has had difficulty breathing and difficulty sleeping. Over the last three years, she has had treatments at various hospitals, but Precious' condition has not improved. She has tried taking antibiotics and using nasal spray steroids, but there has been no improvement. A church pastor gave information to Precious' family about a hospital, and they decided to visit to see if Precious would be a candidate for surgery. Accompanied by her parents, Precious traveled for several hours from her hometown to get to the care center for consultation. She was diagnosed with hypertrophy of the tonsils and adenoids and deemed fit for surgery. On March 3rd, Precious will undergo a tonsillectomy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $420 to fund Precious' surgery. Precious' mother shared, “I hope for my child to get treated so that she can breathe well and sleep well."

Paw is a 21-year-old who lives with her parents, a brother, three sisters, a daughter and a niece in a refugee camp. Her father used to be an agricultural day laborer, but had to stop working due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Her sisters go to school and her brother is unemployed. Paw looks after her daughter and niece, who are too young to go to school, while her mother looks after the household chores. In her free time, Paw likes to play with her daughter and visit her friends. On March 9th, Paw left the camp alone to collect firewood. While climbing a hill, she slipped, falling onto her right shin. She was in so much pain that she could not stand up. She got herself to a nearby road where a motorcyclist drove her back to the camp. At home, Paw was treated by a traditional healer, and a couple of days later, a second traditional healer told her family that Paw had fractured her leg. Paw's father made a bamboo brace for her leg, and carried her to the hospital in the camp run by International Rescue Committee (IRC). Knowing that she would need surgery, IRC staff referred her to Burma Children Medical Fund to receive treatment at a local hospital. Currently, Paw experiences a lot of pain when moving her right leg. She cannot stand up by herself and she cannot sleep at night when the pain is severe. Since she injured her leg, she feels more tired and she has lost her appetite. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Paw will undergo surgery to reset her fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure will help her walk and live pain-free. The procedure is scheduled for March 12th and will cost $1,500. Paw shared, "once recovered, I will take care of my parents. I will work and save money for my daughter, so that I can make sure that she has food and clothes."

"Juan is a sweet and caring one-year-old boy," our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK) shares. He is the youngest of five children, and loves to play with one of his sisters while his mother works weaving blouses. A few months ago, Juan fell ill with a fever and was diagnosed with malnutrition at a government health center. Despite the diagnosis, Juan's parents did not receive any support or tools to help their son. "Now, Juan is far below the average height and weight for his age, and if intervention does not occur his physical and mental growth will be permanently stunted." Some other long-term effects of this condition include a suppressed immune system and lower academic performance, which will inhibit Juan from reaching his full potential. For $512, Juan can receive treatment for his malnutrition and have a chance at growing normally. In a holistic approach, Juan will receive nutritional supplements to help diversify his diet and nutrient intake. WK adds, "if he gets sick while in the program, our medical team will visit him and provide him with appropriate medication." Along with treatment for Juan, "his mother will participate in nutrition education and therefore feel more confident in her care decisions for her family". This will also help prevent the long-term effects of malnutrition. “I am so grateful for the support that we will receive from Wuqu’ Kawoq and Watsi," Juan's mother shares. "Because with the support of God and with you, our little Juan will recover from malnutrition.”