Mary is a cute little baby girl who was born less than one month ago in Tanzania. She is the third child in her family, and she is loved by all of her family members. Mary was born with an open lesion on her lower back that is leaking cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Her condition—known as spina bifida—is a birth defect in which several vertebrae in the lower back do not close properly, leaving the baby’s spinal canal exposed. The spinal cord and its surrounding membranes protrude through the opening in the backbone, forming a sac on the baby’s lower back that may tear and leak. If not treated, Mary will be at risk of easily contracting an infection, and she will continue to lose CSF, which could be fatal. As is common in infants with spina bifida, Mary also has hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an accumulation of CSF in the brain. Too much fluid can increase pressure on the brain and inside the skull, leading to an enlarged head and developmental issues. Mary's head is unusually soft, and the circumference has slowly been increasing in size. Mary’s parents are small-scale farmers who rely on growing and selling maize and beans to support their family. As much as they would like to help their daughter, the cost of surgery is too expensive for them. Her mother worries about what will happen to Mary, as she has never seen a child with this condition. Fortunately, the baby girl is feeding well. For $1,200 in funding, Mary will undergo two surgical procedures to close the lesion on her spine and drain the excess fluid from her brain. First, doctors will place the spinal cord and membranes back inside the spinal canal and close the opening on her back. Next, they will place a shunt in Mary's brain to drain the excess fluid and transport it to her abdomen, where it can be resorbed by the body. Funding for Mary also includes 10 days of hospital care, lab tests, medicine, five physical therapy sessions, and a two-week stay at The Plaster House for recovery and rehabilitation. “How we wish our daughter to get well," shares Mary's mother. "We’ll take her to school so that she can study and later on get a good job and live an independent life."

Cho The is a 35-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband, her eight-year-old son, and her father. She and her husband were both born and raised in the village where they live. While Cho The used to work alongside her husband on a rubber farm, she has been unable to work for the past three years due to the symptoms she experiences from her condition. Cho The has uterine fibroids, or benign tumors that develop in the uterus and cervix. As a result, her husband has been the only member supporting the family for three years. Her husband can usually only find between two to three days of work per week. The family does not make enough money to pay for their basic needs, including food. They have been forced to take out multiple loans and to borrow money from friends. Cho The's condition has affected the whole family, because not only does she have to worry about taking care of her son, but her father is also partially paralyzed and the family must care for him. Since her symptoms have arisen, she has experienced leg pains, difficulty walking, and an inability to lie down comfortably, which has been affecting her sleep. It has always been Cho The's dream to have many children. Cho The traveled six hours with a friend to Watsi's medical partner, Burma Border Projects, where she will have surgery to remove her fibroids. The $1,500 procedure, along with a seven day hospital stay, will enable her to recover and live free of the pain and other symptoms that hold her back from work. In her free time, Cho The enjoys studying the English language and reading her holy book. She really wants to start working again in order to be able to support her family better. "I hope that I will be able to have more children after surgery and to support my son through his education," said Cho The.

Due to quick fatigue and abdominal pain, 48-year-old Grace is not able to consistently work. Grace is a woman who lives in Central Kenya with her family. Grace and her husband, who sells bicycle spare parts to provide for the family, have four children. One has completed secondary education and the other two are still in schooling. They lost one child to a road accident. Grace used to work in their small farm, but has since stopped due to her medical condition. Grace started experiencing heavy bleeding two years ago, and was referred to a hospital for treatment, where she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. In March, Grace was referred to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), for care. Grace has to sit down to clean, and she is unable to attend to her small farm. If not treated, Grace will continue experiencing pain and heavy flow, which may result in anemia. After the doctors at AMHF perform a total abdominal hysterectomy, Grace will be able to work on her farm again and the risk of anemia will be eliminated. The total treatment cost, including post-operative care, is $800. "I want to be treated, get relieved of the pain, and be able to raise our children," shares Grace.

Meet Choeun, a 65-year-old man from Cambodia. “Choeun is married with four sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren. Choeun enjoys visiting the pagoda and listening to the monks pray," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Ten years ago, Choeun developed a pterygium in his left eye. A pterygium occurs when growth starts in the clear tissue of the eye and spreads to the cornea. "This causes him to have blurred vision and experience tearing, irritation, and burning," CSC explains. "I hope my eye can see easily without a cyst,” shares Choeun, “Then, I can to continue my work in the farm, cook food at home, and go anywhere outside feeling good." After learning about CSC, Choeun and his daughter-in-law travelled two hours to visit their clinic. They learned that a simple surgical procedure may restore Choeun’s sight. With $150, Choeun will undergo an excision surgery, and his cyst will be removed. “The burning, pain, and irritation will be relieved. His eyes will look much better after the operation. The redness and tearing will also stop,” CSC explains. Choeun’s daughter-in-law shares, “I hope my father-in-law has his cyst removed. I also hope that he will not worry about his vision and looks anymore.”

Meet Sambath, an eight-year-old boy from Cambodia. “He attends school. He spends his free time at home playing games outside, watching TV, watching children's movies, and going to the field with his parents,” explains our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). “When Sambath was four, he received a poorly administered injection in his right thigh. This caused his quadriceps to contract and scar, and over time as he grew this dragged his patella out of place," CSC details about his condition. "Sambath's patella is now dislocated and it is hard for him to walk," they continue. "He is always falling down and is in pain because of his dislocated patella." $378 funds a treatment that will restore Sambath's patella to the proper place. “After surgery, he will be able to walk normally again and without any pain,” continues CSC. “I hope after surgery I can walk normally again," Sambath shared in his pre-operative interview with CSC. "When I am healed I will continue to go to school.”

Micah is a five-year-old boy from Uganda who loves playing soccer and making toys out of anything he sees. When asked to fetch water, he’s the first of nine to run out the door. Micah lives with his grandmother, who works as a subsistence farmer and takes care of a large family of grandchildren. Micah was diagnosed with a ventral hernia, a condition that causes a bulge of tissues through the abdominal wall. Our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation, explains that “he has been experiencing pain, which has caused him to withdraw from the other children.” $227 will cover the cost of the hernia repair he needs, which is grandmother cannot afford to pay. “When the pain is healed, Micah will be able to play and help his grandmother with house chores,” says the Kellermann Foundation. “I was worried about the treatment bills for my grandson,” Micah’s grandmother shares. “I hope that God blesses these people, who help pay for healthcare for those that can’t afford it. I am sure Micah will live to tell the testimony of having been helped in the future.”

To is a father of seven children and grandfather of nine living in Cambodia. To has recently had difficulty recognizing the faces of his family members, because he has developed cataracts, or clouded lenses, in each of his eyes. For the past two years, these have been “causing him blurred vision [and] tearing,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “He can’t see anything clearly.” 53-year-old To’s eyes have become so sensitive to light that he cannot go outside, making his day-to-day occupation as a rice farmer almost impossible. Since this work is how To supports his family, To’s daughter says she is anxious for him to receive treatment so that “he can easily do work and […] not worry about his vision loss any more.” Cataracts are currently the cause of approximately half of the world’s cases of blindness. For $225, To will receive a small incision cataract surgery and Intraocular lens implant in both of his eyes. This two-step operation will remove the clouded lens in each eye and replace it with a fully functioning artificial lens. As a result of this surgery, CSC tells us, “To will be able to see clearly again.” To says he hopes that after surgery “I can easily go anywhere outside, and drive my motor better too."

“Maung Win is a 45-year-old man who lives in Burma with his wife and 18-year-old son,” shares our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “He has lived in the township his entire life and works as a shop vendor with his wife. Their son is currently studying at college.” “Maung Win has rheumatic heart disease,” reports to BBP. “He is often tired and feels tenderness in his chest. It is difficult to breathe when it is hot at home. Due to his conditions, he has to take medicines every day and has to buy more medicine once a month. It is difficult to afford to costs of medicine and is sometimes difficult to work as a shop vendor due to fatigue.” $1,500 will cover life-saving cardiac surgery for Muang Win. This procedure will increase his ability to breathe and decrease his tiredness. Post-surgery, he should be able to return to work full-time. “After surgery, I want to work hard for my family, especially for my son who is studying at college,” Maung Win says. “I worry for my son and his schooling. I worry that I cannot earn as much money as I can to support my family.”

This eight-month-old girl is Evelin. She lives with her mother, father, and sister in rural Guatemala where their family shares an adobe mud house with no bathroom, stove, or access to clean drinking water. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), diagnosed Evelin with acute malnutrition during a routine house call in her town. "Evelin's mother had no idea that Evelin was malnourished until we arrived," WK says. "She is far below both her height for age and her weight for age and is often sick with a cough and/or diarrhea." Evelin is in need of treatment, but her family cannot afford the cost of nutritional intervention. Her father works as a farmer while her mother weaves textiles to sell at a local market. Evelin is not receiving the proper nutrition that she needs to grow strong. "Without intervention, her weight will continue to fall and she will continue to not grow," WK tells us. "Her immune system will weaken and she will be at risk of acute illnesses, such as pneumonia. In the long run she will be at higher risk of suffering from the long term effects of malnutrition including acquiring a chronic disease, lower IQ and academic performance, and decreased earning potential." For $535, Evelin will receive intensive micronutrient and food supplementation as well as medication to stop the gastrointestinal infection causing her diarrhea. With these interventions, she will start to gain weight and height and strengthen her immune system to fend off future illness. Her mother will also receive nutritional education. “I am so thankful that you want to help my little one," Evelin's mother says. "We struggle financially and so this will be a great help.”