"Daudi has congenital deformity of both feet (clubfeet)," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. Daudi is a 2-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. "Apart from the deformity of his feet, Daudi is healthy, happy, and feeds well." Clubfoot occurs when the tendons connecting the leg muscle to the foot bones are short and tight, causing the foot to twist inward. If left untreated, it will force Daudi to walk with the lateral aspect of his feet, which will affect his gait and cause him pain. Daudi will undergo a four-month process to gently stretch and manipulate the foot into the correct position, which will be held by casts in between sessions. The initial treatment of clubfoot is non-surgical. $1,160 will cover the full cost of Daudi's treatment. While his parents are concerned for his condition, they are unable to fully support the cost of the treatment as they work as farmers and vendors in their village. After treatment, "Daudi will not use the lateral aspect of his feet for walking," AMHF tells us. "I will be happy to see my son with straight feet, which will allow him to comfortably play with other children when he grows up," Daudi's mother shares.

“I want to go back to school and live a normal life,” shares Wesly, a 20-year-old student living in Haiti. Wesly has been diagnosed with a heart defect called mitral and aortic regurgitation. As a result of this condition, two of Wesly’s heart valves cannot pump blood regularly. Wesly's heart is now starting to fail. “Without urgent surgery, this condition would be fatal," says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Wesly lives with his aunt and grandmother, who have raised him since he was little. He is a junior in high school and he enjoys riding his bike and reading books when he is not working on his dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. HCA has raised $12,000 to cover the cost of Wesly's heart surgery. However, an additional $1,500 is needed to fund surgery preparation and overseas transportation, as this specialized procedure is not readily available in Haiti. During surgery, “one or possibly two artificial valves will be implanted in Wesly’s heart, replacing the damaged ones,” HCA explains. Once he receives surgery, “he should be able to lead a near-normal life although he will require daily blood-thinning medication for the rest of his life, and periodic blood tests.”

“We just pray that our son will get well, have the ability to breastfeed and continue with normal growth,” share Christian’s parents. Their baby boy, Christian, was born in last December in Tanzania. When he was just a few days old, his mother became alarmed when "he did not want to breastfeed at all,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). She also noticed that his abdomen was beginning to swell, and his skin was jaundiced. Soon after, “Christian was diagnosed with biliary obstruction secondary to choledochal cyst,” AMHF tells us. This means that Christian’s bile ducts, which carry digestive fluids from the liver to the intestines, are blocked. “This biliary obstruction has to be removed to prevent too much toxic bile [from building up] in the blood,” AMHF tells us. Christian needs a mass excision operation to un-block his bile duct. However, his parents cannot afford to pay for this procedure on their own. Christian’s mother recently had to quit her job to bring her ailing infant on frequent hospital visits, leaving the four-person family reliant on their father’s single income as a van driver. “The little that Christian’s father earns is not enough to cover their basic needs as well as the cost of operation which their son badly needs,” AMHF says. Fortunately, with $920 we can help Christian get the care he urgently needs. This sum will cover the surgery to remove the choledocal cyst blocking Christian’s bile ducts, as well as a six-week stay for the baby afterwards at a recovery center. After this procedure, “Christian’s liver will function well, allowing adequate bile flow to the intestine. Hence, no more toxins and Christian will feed well and continue with normal growth,” says AMHF.

“I just want to have a healthy baby,” says the mother of Marvin, a two-month-old baby boy who lives with his parents and six siblings in Guatemala. “Marvin has no access to breast milk or formula. His mother says that after having six children over 17 years, she simply does not have enough breast milk left," says our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). "Marvin is always crying because he is hungry.” Because of this lactational failure, Marvin has limited access to nutritious food, which has impeded his development. "Marvin is very underweight for his age, and his height is far below the average as well," WK says. Marvin's father works as a day laborer, and doesn't earn enough to afford formula. Without intervention, Marvin is not only at risk for acute malnutrition, but also starvation. For $1,016, Marvin can receive treatment to avoid the adverse effects of lactation failure. “This treatment will supply Marvin with the formula he needs to grow and develop well, both mentally and physically,” WK explains. WK also has a program for his mother in order to ensure that this treatment will produce long term improvements. "His mother will receive education on how to prepare the formula, and our staff will help her prepare for when he starts to make the transition to solid food in a few months," WK adds. "All in all, this treatment will save Marvin’s life and help him get his health back on track.”

Meet 46-year-old Nou from Cambodia. “Nou is married with one son. She works as a seller at the market,” reports our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “In her free time, Nou likes to clean her house and study English.” Nou has a bilateral cholesteatoma, a non-cancerous skin cyst in the middle section of the ear. Over time, this skin growth can increase in size and destroy the surrounding delicate bones of the middle ear, resulting in loss of hearing and potential facial paralysis. “When Nou was 18-years-old, she began having ear discharge on both sides, with hearing loss, tinnitus [ringing in the ears], and pain,” continues CSC. With $809, Nou can receive a mastoidectomy in order to surgically remove cells in the hollow, air-filled spaces in the skull behind the ear and relieve her unpleasant symptoms. CSC explains, “After a mastoidectomy procedure, the ear discharge will stop, and Nou will be able to have improved hearing.” Nou and her husband remain hopeful for treatment and are eager to restore her good health. She tells us, “I hope the ear discharge will stop, and I can have good hearing without pain.”

Meet Dieuvens, a three-month-old boy from Haiti. Our medical partner, Project Medishare (PM), shares, “Dieuvens lives with his family, and his father is a motorbike taxi driver and his mother stays at home.” Dieuvens’ mother was a student at sewing school, but placed her classes on hold in order to care for her son. Dieuvens has hydrocephalous. When he was born, a CT scan of his head revealed that he had excess fluid in his brain. This fluid is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid caused by blocked pathways in the brain. While this fluid normally provides a cushion for the brain, too much of it creates harmful pressure. “Dieuvens head is swollen; he has seizures and sometimes gets the flu and fevers,” adds PM. $1,260 will fund the surgery Dieuvens needs to drain the excess fluid from his brain. During the surgery, a shunt will be placed in Dieuvens’ brain to drain the excess fluid into his abdomen where it will be absorbed. PM shares, “This will allow him to have a healthy life, allow him to grow up normally, and enjoy a good childhood.” This surgery will have a positive impact on both Dieuvens and his mother’s future. Dieuvens will have an opportunity to develop normally and reach important milestones. Likewise, his mother is motivated to return to school after Dieuvens completes his recovery.

Meet Dennis, a young 15-year-old boy who lives with his three siblings at their family friend's home in Kenya. His mother works as a house help in the Middle East, and according to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), “Dennis' biggest dream is to have his mother back in Kenya and for him to provide for her every need." “Dennis has a swelling on the right inguinal region,” explains AMHF. “He is experiencing pressure and intense pain around the area.” An inguinal hernia is when the soft tissue from the abdomen (such as fat or part of the intestine) protrudes through a weak part of the abdominal wall in the groin region. “If Dennis is not treated, there is risk of associated life threatening complications such as obstruction, strangulation of the intestines and cutting off blood supply to body tissues,” continues AMHF. "Dennis' mother managed to send [him] some money for his treatment," says AMHF, "but she could not raise the funds required for Dennis' surgical care." Dennis continues to explain, "My mother has struggled to get the money she sent for me to get treated and this is the most she could raise." $430 in funding will pay for Dennis' operation to fix the defect in his abdominal wall that was caused by the protrusion. While Dennis is under general anaesthesia, doctors will make an incision in the area where his hernia is located in order to bring the edges of the defect together and lay a patch of mesh on the repaired section to further strengthen the closure. After this procedure, Dennis will no longer be in pain and will be able to concentrate in school and work towards his dreams. "I am disturbed knowing that my mother works as a house help in the Middle East," says Dennis. "My biggest dream and hope is to help her someday when I am through with school."

Meet Horn, a 70-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), says, “Horn is married with six children and twelve grandchildren, and when she isn’t trying to sell potatoes, she does house work.” For about three years Horn has had cataracts in both of her eyes, and CSC says, “She is worried she will become permanently blind.” Cataracts are a condition in which a structure develops over the eye lens, causing blurred vision, which can worsen over time. When they reach maturation, cataracts can lead to swelling and cover the entire lens with an opaque layer. CSC continues, “Horn now really struggles to keep her business going since she has extremely blurry vision, and she has recently stopped trying to go to pagoda [Buddhist temple], or anywhere that is far away.” Horn needs cataract surgery on both of her eyes. This procedure costs $225 and will remove the cloudy lenses in both of her eyes and replace them with clear implants. CSC says that with the surgery, “Horn will have clear vision.” CSC tells us, “After surgery Horn hopes to continue her business more easily, start going to the pagoda again, and be able to go anywhere alone.” Lets help give back Horn her vision!

“Thu Thu is a very smart girl,” says her father. “She puts efforts into studies but her current health condition prevents her from going to school.” At two years old, doctors discovered that Thu Thu had a hole in her heart, a condition called patent ductus arteriosus. They expected that it would heal itself, however, now at 16 years old, Thu Thu requires surgery to close the hole. “Thu Thu lives in Burma with her parents and two older sisters,” explains our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “Her father works as a tailor while her mother takes care of the house and children. Thu Thu’s father’s income is just barely enough to cover daily expenses so they do not have money saved to pay for healthcare.” While untreated, Thu Thu suffers with the symptoms of her condition. “Thu Thu has severe fatigue and gets sick with colds frequently,” continues BBP. “Her breathing and pulse are irregular. Her condition has forced her to drop out of school even though she has excelled in her classes until now.” For $1,500, Thu Thu will receive cardiac surgery to help her regain energy and attend school again. Once she recovers, she plans to go back to class, pass her exam, and move on to a university. “I really want to pass my matriculation exam,” shares Thu Thu. “I cannot wait to be as healthy as other people.”