Esther is a four-month-old girl from Tanzania. She is the youngest in a family of seven children. She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain. A month after her birth, Esther’s parents noticed that her head was growing rapidly. During a regular pediatric checkup, her mother was advised to visit a specialist. They traveled to our medical partner's care center in Kenya, Bethany Kids Kijabe Hospital. There, on December 12, Esther underwent a shunt insertion to drain the fluid from her brain. Esther lives with her parents and siblings in a three-room house in a remote village. Her mother is a housewife, while her father works as a motorbike taxi driver. They cannot afford their daughter's treatment. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $685 in funding. “I am happy that we landed at Bethany Kids to access care for Esther," says Esther's mother. "I will truly appreciate if Watsi can help."

20-year-old Tha Zin had been in poor health since 2014. She had difficulty breathing and sleeping, and she experienced nausea after every meal. She visited a hospital, where she was diagnosed with nasal polyps. Despite her use of traditional medicines, her symptoms did not improve. With time, Tha Zin's vision became blurry, and her eyes swelled. In January of 2015, Tha Zin underwent surgery for her nasal polyps. Unfortunately, one month later, her eyes began to swell again, and she lost her vision. She could only differentiate between light and darkness. For this reason, she was forced to drop out of school. In July of 2016, Tha Zin was seen by an eye doctor, who informed her that she had a neurological problem. She visited a neurosurgeon, who ordered an MRI and discovered a benign tumor in her brain. On December 14, her doctor removed the tumor from her brain. Tha Zin's family cannot afford this treatment. They have already sold all of their jewelry and land to pay for her previous treatments. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund Tha Zin's healthcare. "I am glad I get to know the details of my health problem," says Tha Zin. "I feel a lot better now."

Kagezi is a 45-year-old laborer from Uganda who works for a brick-making and sand-mining business. He came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), with a five-year history of pain and swelling in his inguinal and scrotal regions. Kagezi’s symptoms are the result of a bilateral inguinoscrotal hernia, a protrusion of the intestines through weak points in the abdominal muscles. The protrusions present as painful bulges in the left and right groin, and the pain increases with coughing, bending at the waist, or lifting heavy objects. “If not treated,” explains AMHF, “Kagezi is at risk of intestinal obstruction, incarceration, and strangulation.” Because of the hernia, Kagezi does not make as many bricks as he used to, and he is unable to carry heavy items. His inability to work makes it difficult for him to support his family or raise money to pay for his medical care. “He tried contacting his siblings,” AMHF tells us, “but they also did not have money.” For $220, Kagezi can undergo hernia repair, in which a surgeon pushes the protruding tissue back into the abdomen and sews together the weakened muscle with a synthetic mesh. Over time, muscle tissue grows into and around the mesh to strengthen the area. Funding also covers the cost of 14 days of hospital care, including labs and medications. After surgery, Kagezi looks forward to returning to work and being able to split firewood without discomfort. “Thank you for offering to give me help,” he shares. “God bless you.”

"Life at the village requires one to walk a lot either going to school, to fetch water or doing other activities. We want our son to be able to help out and help himself too. We are worried that if he won’t be able to walk properly he will end up being dependent," say Furahini’s parents. Meet Furahini, a one-year-old boy from Tanzania. Furahini has a bilateral clubfoot, a condition that will force him to walk on the side of his foot as he learns to walk. The clubfoot is not only painful but "will put him at risk of developing early osteoarthritis later on, if not treated," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Furahini is the second child born to a father who is a livestock keeper and a mother who is a homemaker. Most of the parents’ “earnings come from selling goats and not too long ago they lost most of their goats to disease,” continues our medical partner. “The small vegetable garden outside their house is the one that rescued them from not going hungry when they had no goats.” For $1,160 we can fund an orthopedic procedure for Furahini. The treatment will allow him to walk normally and prevent osteoarthritis later in life.