Zablon is a two-year-old boy from Tanzania. He lives with his mother, grandmother, and two siblings. His mother is unmarried and stays at home to look after the children, while his grandmother works to support the family. Zablon was born with bilateral clubfeet, a condition in which both his feet are turned inward, making him unable to walk. On February 17, Zablon will undergo surgery at our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC), to correct his feet. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is asking for $1,160 in funds to cover the cost of his surgery, labs, and casts. “I wish to see my child walking normally, in order for him to attend school and be successful," says Zablon's mother. After recovery, Zablon will be able to walk and will become independently mobile!

15-year-old Soe was born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole in the lower chambers of his heart that disrupts the circulation of his blood. Since he was born, he has been in and out of hospitals with fevers and fatigue. Soe lives with his parents, younger brother, and younger sister in Burma. His mother takes care of his siblings at home. His father sells roti, an Indian flat bread, from a cart. Because of his symptoms, Soe has had difficulty regularly attending school. He left school after sixth grade. “Soe is very smart, works hard, and always got good grades, but he did not have enough energy to put in the time needed," says Soe's father. Then, in October 2016, Soe developed a very high fever. A clinician examined him and recommended surgery. On January 13, a surgeon will close the hole in Soe's heart. Our medical partner is asking for $1,500 to pay for the procedure, the surgeon's fees, four days of hospital stay, and one day of in-home care. When he recovers, Soe plans to play soccer with his friends and continue his studies, with the aim of becoming a religious leader in his community.

Meet Krysa, a second grade student from the Philippines. She has lived with her grandparents since she was three years old. Krysa was born with a cleft lip. In the past, she underwent a cleft lip repair, but her lip was left scarred. As her grandparents do not work, they have been unable to afford the medical fees for Krysa to undergo another surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), will help Krysa. She is set to undergo surgery to repair her cleft lip on January 17. ICM is requesting $1,088 to fund Krysa's surgery. Krysa's grandmother is excited for the outcome of the surgery. She says, "This surgery will help her have the confidence to face people and reach her dreams."

Matisitsi is a 45-year-old, married and father of eight from Uganda. He weaves baskets for a living, and enjoys eating fish and cassava bread. Matisitsi had hernia repair in the right inguinal region in 2013. Then, about a year and a half ago, he developed another painful swelling in the left inguinal region, and he suspected it was a hernia again. Matisitsi visited a hospital where it was confirmed that he had a left inguinal hernia. This is a condition where part of his intestine is protruding through his inner groin. Due to the pain caused by the hernia, he is unable to lift heavy items and standing and walking is difficult. He also is unable to dig, which prevents him from earning a living from agriculture. Matisitsi was unable to afford the surgery recommended by the hospital, and if left untreated, Matisitsi may suffer many complications. For $249, Matisitsi will undergo the hernia repair surgery he needs. After the surgery, Matisitsi hopes to resume digging so that he can support himself and his family. “Hernia is a painful sickness. I wish I could prevent it from coming back!” Matisitsi shared.

Meet Justin, a two-year old baby boy from Kenya. Justin is “the first born to a young couple,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). AMHF shares that Justin is a very active baby boy, and fell from his bed accidentally on October 3rd, fracturing his right elbow. He specifically has a right displaced supracondylar fracture, a frequent injury in children and that often leads to complications if not treated quickly. Justin requires an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) to fix his elbow. This first puts the broken bone back into place, and then places a fixation device on the bone to prevent it from moving. "His mother is a college student and his father is currently jobless: Justin's father used to do casual work at a cyber café," AMHF reports. They rely on their parents for support, and are unable to pay for Justin's surgery on their own. $1,125 will fund treatment to heal Justin's bones. The cost of the treatment includes surgical, hospital, and all medication costs. “We expect after an ORIF, Justin will recover fully. He will no longer be in pain, and his hand will heal well. He will be able to use it again. Justin will have a chance to grow up normally and healthy,” says AMHF. “This is my first baby and I am distressed because of his suffering from this pain," Justin's mother shares. "I hope we can get financial assistance and the surgery will be successful. I can’t wait to see my child able to use his hand again, so that he can grow up like other children.”

Zar Zar is a shy 14-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her parents, 17-year-old brother, and two younger brothers. Her mother says that Zar Zar is a good student and she studies hard. Zar Zar is in the 9th grade and is looking forward to completing her studies. Her parents and older brother work as rice farmers, but this is typically not enough income to cover their expenses. Zar Zar has been diagnosed with encephalocele, a neural tube defect that causes a mass to grow. “When she was born her parents noticed a small lump on the bridge of her nose,” Zar Zar’s doctor at Burma Border Projects (BBP) tells us. “At that time the bump did not cause her any physical discomfort and she was otherwise a healthy, active baby. Her encephalocele now takes up the bridge of her nose and completely obstructs the vision in her left eye. Although it causes her considerable discomfort, she has learned to make do as well as she can. Only having vision in one eye has not stopped her from going to school, nor has the stigma attached to her condition.” “In the future, she said that she would like to be a teacher,” BBP adds. “At the moment, teaching is like a hobby for her, and she helps her younger siblings and her peers with their school work, she added that she enjoys explaining things and helping people learn. In addition, in her free time, she likes running and staying healthy.” Zar Zar’s family cannot afford the surgery needed to remove the growth from Zar Zar’s face, but with $1,500 we can make sure she receives the treatment. “After treatment she will concentrate on her education and hopes to help her family,” BBP explains. "Treatment will improve her confidence and make her more outgoing. Zar Zar’s treatment will also benefit the family as they will no longer have to worry about paying for expensive surgery and can look to the future with happiness."

Florinda is a 50-year-old single mother who lives with a teenage son in the Philippines. An excellent cook, she supports her small family by operating a food stall, which generates $25 to $40 in revenue per month. However, due to ovarian cysts and a thickened endometrial wall, Florinda has been experiencing pain and fatigue as well as frequent bleeding. These symptoms have prevented her from working more recently. The position of her cysts cause Florinda to experience pain predominantly in her abdomen and back. While ovarian cysts and a thickened endometrial wall can be benign, they can also be malignant conditions. Therefore, treatment of this condition is crucial, and care will also be taken to rule out any malignancies through biopsies. Florinda's sister tells us, "We are very excited about Florinda receiving treatment. This means a lot to us. We are very worried about her health." We're raising $550 for a hysterectomy with ovarian removal. This is a definitive treatment that will prevent the recurrence of cysts and thick endometrial walls. As a result, Florinda will no longer experience cyst-related pain or frequent bleeding, and will be able to resume work.

“I wish I could go to school. My dream is to someday work in our village dispensary as a nurse,” says Asha, a 12-year-old from Tanzania. 
Asha severely burned her right hand in an accident over a year ago. As the burn healed, scars formed that caused the skin on her wrist and hand to become stiff and inflexible. Known as a burn scar contracture, due to this condition Asha cannot use her right hand. She cannot attend school or perform her daily chores. Asha, the youngest of four, lives with her grandmother. Her grandmother works hard as a casual laborer at nearby farms to provide for her grandchildren. However, she does not have the means to pay for the $505 surgery Asha needs to regain mobility in her right hand. The contracture release surgery would release the tension from the damaged skin tissue and help Asha’s wrist and arm heal properly with casting. Let’s help Asha return to school so she can pursue her dreams of becoming a nurse!

Jay Bahadur is a 45-year-old carpenter from Nepal. He cut his finger several weeks ago when he was chopping wood. He now has a bacterial infection on the skin and tissues of his left hand, which can spread to the rest of his body. Infections like Jay Bahadur's can be life-threatening if left untreated. But our medical partner, Nyaya Health, can provide Jay Bahadur with surgery to treat the infection. Jay Bahadur hopes to open his own furniture shop one day. With proper healthcare, he can pursue that dream. Let's make it happen!

Youssouf is a dynamic young artist who livens evenings beneath the stars with the music of his balafon (a wooden percussion instrument similar to a xylophone). Youssouf lives in the West African nation of Mali. One day, on his way home from a cattle market, Youssouf was in a car accident which broke his thigh and jaw bone, and caused numerous wounds on his back and face. Due to financial constraints, Youssouf’s parents used traditional treatments for his injuries which further complicated his condition with infection. Youssouf now needs more skillful medical care to ensure his bones heal properly and to fight his current infections. For $1,475, we can fund Youssouf’s treatment and put him on the road to recovery. Youssouf is looking forward to making music again when he's better!

Dorine is 28 and about to give birth! She lives with her husband and children in rural Kenya where they farm and run a family business selling beans, tomatoes, dried fish and other items. Like all mothers, Dorine desperately wants to give her baby the best possible start in life by continuing to visit the hospital in the lead up to the birth and afterwards. However, with so many mouths to feed, health care for her and her unborn baby is prohibitively expensive. With just $215 from Watsi supporters Lwala Community Alliance cam provide Dorine with prenatal health care; community health worker home visits for training on nutrition, pregnancy risk factors and micro-savings in preparation for the baby; delivery at Lwala Community Hospital and a postnatal check-up for Dorine and her baby.