23-month-old Supa is the first and only child of her parents. She was born with spina bifida, a condition causing an open mass on the spine. Recently, the mass started to leak, intensifying Supa's risk of infection and spinal damage. Fortunately, she will undergo a spina bifida closure on January 5. Supa’s mother is a laundress, and his father is a construction worker. The family lives in a rental house in the Nairobi suburbs. They need help to fund this $1,097 procedure. Supa's parents are hopeful about this treatment, and they want to see her excel in the future. “I am still nervous," says Supa's mother, "but I am looking forward to her treatment. I will appreciate if we get help, since Supa is very precious to us."

Nine-month-old Arche Val lives with his parents and four siblings in a bamboo house in the Philippines. His father works as a farmer. Arche Val weighs much less than other children his age. Arche Val has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. He began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 20. He is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities 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. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. "We hope that he can recover from malnutrition and become healthy," say Arche Val's parents.

Soy is a 70-year-old woman from Cambodia. She is married with two sons and nine daughters. She enjoys watching comedy and news shows on TV, and looking after her grandchildren. Two years ago, Soy developed a cataract in each eye. This causes her blurred vision, tearing, and cloudy lenses. She can't see anything clearly, do work well, or easily go outside on her own. For $292, Soy will undergo cataract surgery for both eyes. After the surgery in each eye, Soy will be able to see clearly again.

Kizito, a 73-year-old man, lives in a village in Central Malawi with his wife near their five children and 14 grandchildren. He supports his family through farming and miscellaneous household tasks. For three years, Kizito has experienced symptoms including pain and difficulty urinating from an enlarged prostate. This condition is also called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, and causes Kizito pain and other uncomfortable symptoms. His condition is benign and can be treated surgically, though he has been unable to access treatment until now. Kizito is feeling ready to go into surgery and return home. Let's help him access this important surgery and return to his family in good health.

Since she was five years old, Sas has been dealing with the painful aftermath of a serious ear infection. Sas is a married 30-year-old woman from Cambodia who has two sons and farms to make ends meet. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), explains that her childhood ear infection "caused hearing loss, a perforated tympanic membrane, discharge, and pain. The infection developed into a cholesteatoma and she still experiences these symptoms." A cholesteatoma is an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear which causes unpleasant symptoms like the ones Sas is experiencing. Removing it requires surgery, which Sas cannot afford. "I am unhappy that I have daily ear pain and it is difficult to communicate with other people. Sometimes I can't do anything because of the pain," Sas says. In hopes of receiving care, Sas traveled for five hours with her mother to reach CSC for surgery. With our help and $809, Sas will receive surgery to remove the growth and treat the underlying ear infection. As a result of this surgery, CSC says, "her pain and discharge will stop and over time her hearing can improve."

Tam is a 73-year-old woman who is married with two sons, five daughters, and 20 grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen the monks pray in her spare time. Three years ago, Tam developed entropion on both eyes. This causes her eyelids to turn inward so that the eyelashes scrape the surface of her eye. Tam experiences blurred vision, itchiness, tearing, and irritation. She can't open her eyes fully, and always feels uncomfortable. She has traveled for three hours with her daughter-in-law to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. Tam will undergo an upper eyelid correction surgery on both eyes, which will relieve her of the irritations caused by entropion. The surgery will cost $290. After treatment, Tam will be able to easily see and open/close her eyes again without discomfort.

Nancy is a 20-month-old baby girl who lives with her parents in a remote village in Kenya. Nancy’s mother is a housewife, and her father sells khat to sustain the needs of the young family. Nancy was born with a small anal opening. During the first six months of her life, while she was only feeding on breast milk, she did not have trouble passing stool. When she started eating solid foods, she began to have a difficult time passing stool, and her stomach started to swell. Nancy was taken to several hospitals by her parents, and eventually, she had a colostomy done to create an opening on her upper abdomen for passing stool. Her parents were able to pay for the surgery through financial contributions from friends and family, but as time passed, it became more and more expensive for them to cater to their child’s medical expenses. To prevent infections, Nancy's parents must keep the area around the colostomy clean. “This is really hard for us—very hard,” says Nancy’s father. Keeping the area clean has also been expensive, making it more difficult for the family to raise the funds required for the next phase of Nancy's medical care. Now, Nancy needs a pull-through surgery—an anorectoplasty—to create an anal opening through which she can pass stool normally. $1,260 pays for the surgery, and Nancy's parents are contributing $21 to cover additional costs associated with her care. “Please help my daughter get treated, as we have exhausted funds in trying to get her treated," shares Nancy's father. "My prayer is to have her treated. I really understand her condition, and I am desperate to make life easier for her."

Andrea is a five-month-old girl from Guatemala, who was born 13 weeks early because her mother had preeclampsia. She had to be on a ventilator the first two and a half months of her life. She has struggled to grow since then, and doctors have been puzzled with her case. First it was believed that she had sepsis, then lactose intolerance, but now her diagnosis is clearer. She has a rare genetic condition called Isovaleric Acidemia. This means that she cannot metabolize certain amino acids, meaning they accumulate in her body, reaching toxic levels. The public health care system in Guatemala in unequipped to handle her case, since her condition is so rare. If she does not receive treatment, she will likely pass away. Andrea is the youngest of two children. Her older brother, Diego, loves her a lot and often plays with her, showing her toys. Andrea's mother says that Andrea is a fighter--in her few months of life, she has spent half of it in intensive care, and has received 7 blood transfusions. Although her parents work hard to give her the best they can, her mother is unable to work because of Andrea, and her father cannot make enough money to purchase the extremely expensive formula that Andrea needs to consume to survive. This treatment, which costs $1016, will save Andrea's life. Right now, she is far too small for her age, and is struggling to gain weight. Not only will her physical strength improve with special formula, but her immune system will grow stronger, giving her body what it needs to fight off potentially-deadly sicknesses in her weakened state. Andrea's improvement will give her family hope that she can one day go to school, and be able to live with and manage her condition. "I hope that God allows the miracle of her recovery from this condition that she has," Andrea's mother shares. "I want her to be like a normal child her age, to be able to eat, go to parties with her friends, and not have restrictions."

Chhroy is a 66-year-old woman from Cambodia. She is a grandmother with two sons, four daughters, and 12 grandchildren. “Chhroy developed a cataract in each eye 5 years ago. This causes her blurred vision and irritation. She can't see everything clearly, do work well, or go anywhere outside on her own,” explains her doctor at Children's Surgical Centre in Cambodia (CSC). Chhroy traveled to CSC for care, as she is unable to afford the procedure on her own. $225 funds cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from both of her eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for her surgery includes post-operative care, and after the surgery, she will be able to see clearly again.

27-year-old Maryam lives with her mother in Nigeria. She loves to knit, and has just started a business as a trader. Recently, Maryam was found to have uterine fibroids, or noncancerous growths of the uterus that typically form during child-bearing years. "Maryam experiences heavy menstrual bleeding, excessive pain, and frequent urination," our medical partner, Hope for West Africa (HWA), reports. Though fibroids are not cancerous, they do cause great discomfort and can lead to other conditions, such as anemia. For Maryam, they have impeded her ability to work and help her mother with the family business. To cure Maryam of the fibroids, she will need to undergo surgery. $1,500 will pay for her surgery and a seven-day stay in the hospital for follow up appointments. After the procedure, "Maryam will be able to work and improve her business," HWA tells us. A vibrant young woman, Maryam is most excited to no longer experience pain or a prolonged menstrual flow. "I am looking forward to when I can assist my mother without complaining of pains and to not feel self-conscious," Maryam shares.

Robert, an 11-month boy from Haiti, was born with a heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot. This heart condition is characterized by four heart defects that combine to prevent oxygen from effectively circulating throughout the body. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), shares that as a result, Robert has difficulty breathing and remains sickly. Robert, who lives in Port-au-Prince with his mother and father, "is a quiet and happy baby and likes to play with toys and listen to music," HCA details. "His mother stays at home with him, and his father works as a vendor in the local market." Most children who are diagnosed early with tetralogy of Fallot can live relatively normal lives if they receive appropriate treatment. Health City Cayman Islands has also committed to subsidizing Robert’s surgery with $3,500. An additional $1,500 will allow Robert the surgery he needs to become healthy. HCA details: “During surgery, a shunt will be placed, allowing Robert’s blood to receive more oxygen while his heart continues to grow and develop. In about two years, he will require a second surgery to completely repair his cardiac defect.” “I have been very worried about Robert and I am so glad that there is a surgery that can help him be safe and healthy," Robert's mother shares. "Thank you, everyone!”