Jane works as a house help in western Kenya and has struggled with her hearing for the past 5 years. The hearing loss started when she had Quinine medication administered. The gradual hearing loss has affected her social lifestyle and most of the time she misses out on conversations. Jane has not been to any hospital previously. She was referred to our facility where an audiometry test was done and hearing loss diagnosis made. Her small income of $30 per month is all she earns to care for her late sister’s children. Jane requires $929 for the hearing aids. She appeals for financial assistance. Jane says, “My hope is to be able to socially converse with people without having to ask them to repeat what they said."

Lucy is a student from Kenya. She is the youngest in her family. Her parents are farmers. In late December, Lucy was hit by a public transport vehicle and suffered left tibia fractures. She has had multiple surgeries and is scheduled for more. Right now, Lucy walks with difficulty and without treatment, she risks further infection in the wound. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Lucy receive treatment. On January 15, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to heal her chronic wound. Now, Lucy needs help to fund this $1,129 procedure. Lucy says, “I feel that my life has lagged behind. I wish to be treated and at least continue with my education and help my parents.”

Martha is a young girl from Kenya. She lives with her aunt and two siblings. Martha completed her primary education in 2012 but could not attend high school as her aunt could not afford the school fees. Instead, she helps her aunt sell vegetables. Two years ago, Martha was in her house reading a book when a pressure lamp exploded. She suffered burns and later developed burn contractures. The burn contractures have significantly disfigured her abdomen and distorted her gait. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Martha receive treatment. On April 23, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help Martha regain her posture. Now, she needs help to fund this $1,176 procedure. Martha says, “I would want to be treated and trust God that a well-wisher will come and educate me. I want to help my aunt and siblings have a good life that past life has robbed us."

Sarah is a preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her father and older brother in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She likes going to preschool and watching Disney movies. Sarah has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. A hole exists between the two upper chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving the child sick and short of breath. On April 9, she will undergo cardiac surgery at St. Damien Hospital, our medical partner's care center. During surgery, surgeons will sew the hole closed with stitches so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $5,000 to pay for surgery. Sarah's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 requested by our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, covers cardiac exams and medications. Her father says, "Our family will be praying for everyone who is helping Sarah get well!"

Moe is a 10-month-old baby boy who lives with his parents, uncle, grandmother, and older brother in Burma. His father used to work as a server in Bangkok, but he moved back home three months ago to help take care of Moe. Since Moe’s mother cannot work while she is looking after her two sons, they are forced to live off of their savings. Three months after Moe was born, his mother noticed that he had a bump on his left eyebrow. She took him to visit the doctor at Mae Tao Clinic, our medical partner's care center. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital for further investigation. The doctor at the hospital diagnosed him with a cyst and scheduled him for a cyst removal surgery on April 10. Now, Moe's family needs help raising $1,500 to fund this procedure. “When he grows up, we want to send him to school and we will support him whatever he decides to become," says Moe's father.

Zaamukunda is a 45-year-old woman from Uganda. She is a mother of two children: a boy and a girl. For two years, Zaamukunda has had a swelling in her epigastric region, which has progressively increased in size. In June 2017, Zaamukunda started experiencing pain after eating and feeling the urge to vomit. She was diagnosed with an epigastric hernia, but she has no funds for surgery. If not treated, Zaamukunda may develop hernia twisting and blocking. Fortunately, with the help of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Zaamukunda is scheduled to receive her surgery on September 20. Now, she needs help raising $249 to pay for surgery. After surgery, she hopes to have peace of mind and resume her farming.

Leonardo is a 23-month-old boy from Guatemala. He is frequently ill, and he has not learned many words. His mother is worried because he has not been growing as well as other children. Leonardo has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, he began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Leonardo and his family share a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. They live in a rural mountainous community in Guatemala. Leonardo loves to eat carrots and bananas. His mother works at home, cooking, cleaning, and collecting firewood. His father works as a day laborer on a local plantation. They cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Leonardo recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Leonardo a chance to grow healthy and strong. "We are so appreciative of the support, so our son can grow better," says Leonardo's mother. "I hope that in the future, he can become a professional and have better opportunities than we did."

Gerly is a 16-month-old girl from who lives with her family in her grandparent's home and loves to play with other kids. Gerly has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. Her mother enrolled her in International Care Ministries (ICM)'s home-based feeding program in hopes it will help her daughter reach a normal weight. "I hope she recovers from malnutrition and to go to school someday," her mother said. One out of five children under five in the communities ICM serves is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. Gerly was scheduled to begin treatment for malnutrition on October 19th, 2016. As part of her treatment, she will receive nutrient enriched food packs to ensure she gets additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. ICM's staff and community volunteers will make weekly visits to monitor her progress. And to help sustain her health, ICM's professional staff will educate her family about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening.

Meet Zury, a 9-month-old baby girl from Guatemala and a patient with our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq. Zury is acutely malnourished. She is far too small for her size, all because she has not had the diverse and nutritious diet she needs to grow. Her malnutrition is not only affecting her growth, but also impeding her mental development and weakening her immune system. For her, even a simple fever, cough, or case of diarrhea can be life-threatening since her immune system has grown so weak. Without treatment, she is likely to face permanent problems such as low IQ, chronic disease, and low earning potential as an adult, making it likely that she will pass this condition on to future generations. Zury is the only child to two loving parents. She lives with them in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof in a rural mountainous community of Guatemala. Her mother works taking care of her, cooking, and cleaning, while her father works as an helper to a bricklayer. Although they work hard, they do not have the resources to give Zury even one egg, fruit, or vegetable per day, making it impossible for her to overcome her malnutrition without Watsi donor support. $512 funds a multifaceted treatment for Zury including growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication. The treatment will help Zury recover from malnutrition--saving her life now and putting her on track to live a better life in the future. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age. Her immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake, preventing her from having any more life-threatening situations with diarrhea, fevers, and cough. This will further increase her appetite and help her use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. Her mother will receive the support she needs to give Zury the diet she needs to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Zury the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made her sick in the first place. In her mother's words, "I dream that my daughter will be a good student, but in order to do that she needs to grow."

“Olomayani is a cute one-year-old boy,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). He enjoys crawling and playing with toy cars. Olomayani’s family lives in Tanzania, and he is the youngest of his mother’s six children. The parents raise livestock and do some farming to support the family. Olomayani was born with congenital left foot gigantism—a condition in which one’s toes grow abnormally large. This condition results from an excess of growth hormone. Until he receives treatment, Olomayani’s first and second toes will continue to increase in size. AMHF explains that such growth has already affected Oloymayani’s ability to wear shoes and walk. Treating gigantism requires a surgery to remove the mass that is causing the excess growth hormone to be produced. With education costs for each of their children, Olomayani’s parents cannot raise the extra funds necessary for their son’s operation. With $1,035 Olomayani will receive the operation to remove the mass. Funding will not only cover his surgery, but also his stay in the hospital and rehabilitation. Following surgery, Olomayani’s excessive growth with stop, allowing him to wear shoes and walk properly. Olomayani’s mother shares, “My desire is for my son to be able to walk. He will herd cattle and go to school like his siblings.”

“I want my child to grow up knowing his mama loves him and found him treatment when he was a baby,” Gershomu’s mother shares. Meet Gershomu, an adorable seven-month-old son and third born child to his young parents. He and his family live in rural Tanzania. “Gershomu was born with club feet,” reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “As he grows and starts to walk, he will develop a stilted gait and not be able to wear normal shoes.” In the hopes of finding treatment for their son’s condition, Gershomu’s parents used their savings to travel to various hospitals until they arrived at a Watsi partner. The treatment Gershomu seeks will adjust the tightened tendons and ligaments causing the uncomfortable club feet. “We expect a great outcome for Gershomu as we are able to start his treatment when he is so young,” AMHF continues. “We expect that he will grow and develop with no idea he was born with a disability.” Together, for $1160, we can help Gershomu's mother cover the cost of this life-changing operation and allow him to return back home with his family!

“This has been a very scary time for both me and Christina, but we have faith in God and we believe everything will be ok for her,” says Christina’s mother. Meet Christina, a seven-year-old girl from Haiti who has the congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot. “Christina was born with a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot, which involves several related defects including a hole between two chambers in the heart and blockage of one of the heart valves. Two years ago, she underwent a “shunt” operation to allow blood to flow more normally until her arteries could grow to a size that would allow for a permanent fix. However, several weeks ago that shunt became blocked and she is at imminent risk of death in coming weeks without having surgical repair,” reports our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance. “Christina loves going to school and misses seeing her friends since she’s been sick,” continues Haiti Cardiac Alliance. A naturally outgoing girl, she likes to dance, sing, and play with friends. For $1500, we can correct Christina’s heart condition and allow her to enjoy her friends’ company. “Following surgery, Christina’s heart should be completely repaired and she should be able to live a normal, active life,” says Haiti Cardiac Alliance.