Meet Fadumo, an 18-year-old girl from Somalia. She is the first-born of nine children. Eight years ago, Fadumo was milking her father's goat when she sustained a head injury. Since then, frequent seizures, headaches, and medical travel have caused her difficulty in school. She cannot bend over to perform household tasks. Fadumo has visited several hospitals in Addis Ababa and Hargesia without success. At one point, she was even told that there are no treatment plans for girls in Africa. Finally, a missionary referred Fadumo to our medical partner's hospital in Kenya, AIC Kijabe Hospital. Fadumo and her father journeyed to Kenya, where they stayed with a host family of the same religion. Fadumo learned that she had a mucocele, or a mucus-filled mass, in her sinus. Without treatment, the mucocele would increase in size, putting Fadumo at risk of vision loss. She would also continue to experience seizures and headaches. Fortunately, on October 25, 2016, doctors performed a craniotomy to remove the mucocele. Fadumo’s father teaches religion, and her mother is a housewife. The family lives in traditional Somali temporary houses. They are unable to pay for Fadumo's $1,495 treatment––which includes surgical costs, medications, and hospital stay––so they need our help. “I want to be well to provide for my parents and get a quality education to help needy people at home," says Fadumo.

Three-year-old Debit lives with his parents in Nepal. His father runs a hotel to support the family while his mother stays at home to take care of the household. Debit was recently playing in his home when a solar power battery fell on his right thigh, leaving him with a fractured femur. He has been in immense pain and has been crying for the last three days whenever his posture is changed. He has difficulty moving the injured leg and it has swelled considerably. His father shares, "It was a very bad day for my son when the solar battery fell on him in front of us and we could do nothing for him." To seek medical treatment, Debit and his father walked quite a distance to reach the hospital run by Watsi's medical partner, Possible. Doctors at the hospital will perform surgery on Debit's leg to close the fracture and ensure that it heals properly. However, Debit's family needs financial support to cover the $195 procedure that will fix his leg. "I wish my son's treatment happens soon," says Debit's father. Let's help them raise the funds for Debit's operation so he can be pain-free!

Rathana is a five-year-old girl from Cambodia who has one brother. Rathana enjoys reading books and watching TV at home. She traveled four hours with her mom to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Rathana's left hand was burned when she was one, and the skin on her fingers has contracted and scarred. She can't move her fingers or use her hand. Surgeons at CSC will perform a contracture release surgery to allow her to regain function of her left hand. This surgery will cost $194. Rathana's family needs financial assistance to pay for this surgery. After the procedure, Rathana will be able to use her hand again.

Jharna is a three-year-old girl who lives with her parents and siblings in Nepal. Her father works in India and is away from home most of the time while her mother cuts wood in the forest and sells it in the market to make finances easier for her family. Recently, Jharna was sleeping on the bed when she fell down and fractured her right hand. Her hand has swollen and it has been painful ever since. She cries often and needs assistance to do basic day to day work like dressing her self, bathing, and so on. Jharna's mother took a day long walk to reach the Possible's hub - Bayalpata hospital. For $195, Jharna will be given a cast to heal her fracture. Let's help her raise the funds!

Elaiza is a one-year old girl who lives in Cebu. She lives with her parents and is the youngest of four siblings, who she loves to play with. They live in a small house that is made of different scraps, without electricity. Their water supply is a deep well. Her father is a fisherman and earns a little each day if the weather is good. Her mother is a housewife. Elaiza is very weak and thin because she is suffering from malnutrition. She now needs treatment to help her regain her health and strength, as well as prevent future complications. Watis medical partner International Care Ministries' (ICM) Home-Based Feeding program will provides Elaiza with nutrient enriched food packs to ensure she gets additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. Staff and community volunteers will make weekly visits to monitor Elaiza's progress. To help sustain her health, ICM's professional staff will educate her parents about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening. $184 will cover the costs of the care Elaiza needs. Let's help raise the funds! "I hope that Elaiza will grow strong & healthy. And someday when she grows up she can go to school," her family shared.

Elizabeth is a 16-month-old baby girl from Uganda who just started walking. Both her parents are subsistence farmers growing cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, and sorghum. Elizabeth has malaria and her symptoms include vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, headaches, and fever. Elizabeth was referred to the hospital from a local clinic after she had been there for two days and her condition was not changing. She is the fourth child in her family. Two of her siblings attend a local school while the other will start school next year. When she is feeling well, Elizabeth enjoys playing with her siblings and being carried by her father. Her favorite food is mixture of sweet potatoes with beans. Her favorite color is white, and she especially enjoys wearing her white dress when going to church. $120 will cover the costs of the care Elizabeth needs to treat her malaria. Let's help raise the funds! Elizabeth's mother shared, “I am looking forward to my daughter health again and able to get back and be with my other children. Thank you to the hospital and all the people who are helping me.”

Bikash is a playful fourth grader who enjoys swimming and fishing in the river near his home. This nine-year-old boy from Nepal has a hernia which has become progressively more difficult for him to live with. "Although he had been living with hernia for a few years now, it became increasingly painful in the last two weeks," explains our medical partner, Possible. "Worried if it may cause complications in the future, his family brought him to the hospital." Possible continues, "His father works in India to support the family back home while his mother tends to the farm to make ends meet." Bikash is responsible for grazing the cattle at home and looking after his younger sister. For $491, we can fund a hernia repair surgery, which will put the tissue that's currently bulging out of place back where it belongs. This procedure will reduce Bikash's pain and the risk of complications like strangulation. "I am a little worried because it's my son's first time in the hospital," says Bikash's mother. "But I am positive he will be cured." "Bikash is keen to head back home and rejoin school once his treatment is over," Possible says.

This is Karna, a 48-year-old husband and farmer, who lives with his wife in a village in Nepal. Together, they look after their cattle and tend to the farm. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, Karna began to experience considerable pain due to an inguinal hernia. It started causing complications, and since then, he has been completely bedridden. In need of medical attention, Karna and his wife left behind their cattle with neighbors and trekked for four days to reach the hospital. "I have had this hernia for about one and a half years, but only now has it become problematic," Karna shares. $491 in funding will allow Karna to receive the surgery he needs. With bed rest and monitoring, Karna will return to his healthy, normal self. Once he is healthy again, Karna looks forward to seeing his sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren when they visit from India.

Born just weeks ago in Kenya, Faith is a beautiful baby girl who has needed specialized medical care since birth. “Her siblings were eagerly waiting to meet her,” says Faith’s mother. “Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to go home.” Faith was born with spina bifida, a birth defect characterized by the incomplete closure of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. “Faith has a leaking mass on her lower back,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Faith is at a risk of getting severe infection and developing a tethered cord that can lead to either scoliosis and/or kyphosis (abnormal twisting/curvature of the spine). She is also at a risk of lower limb paralysis.” Faith’s mother, a subsistence farmer, and her father, a day laborer in construction, live with their children in a one-room rental house. They cannot raise enough money to pay for medical care for their infant daughter. With $805 in funding, Faith can undergo spina bifida closure, a surgical procedure in which doctors place the spinal cord and nerves back inside the backbone and cover them with membranes before closing the opening on Faith’s back. Funding for Faith’s treatment also pays for five days of hospital care and three days of physical therapy. “Any help accorded towards Faith's treatment will be a great blessing to us,” says Faith’s mother.

“Two-week-old Irene—the last born in a family of three—lives with her parents and siblings in a two-room, iron-sheet house,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). To support the family, Irene’s mother works on their small farm, while Irene’s father makes a modest income working as a casual laborer for their local village in Kenya. Irene was born with a “sac-like protrusion on the lower back area,” AMHF explains. This mass—caused by a congenital neural tube abnormality called spina bifida—occurs when the spinal cord improperly develops in utero, leading to gaps between the vertebrae. In Irene’s case, this defect has created an opening in her back, exposing a small mass of spinal neural tissue. If left untreated, spina bifida can lead to other health complications. AMHF states, “Irene is at risk of infections on the exposed nerves and tissues.” Specifically, AMHF says that Irene could “develop tethered cord syndrome (stretching the spinal cord), which can lead to either scoliosis (a curved spine) or kyphosis (a hunched back).” With $805, Irene will receive treatment to remove the mass from her back and close the gap in her spine. Her surgery will be safely carried out by performing all of the necessary medical examinations both before and after her operation. After the procedure, she will be closely monitored during a five-day stay at the hospital, and will also work with a physiotherapist to help ease her into recovery. The proposed operation is expected to have a great impact on Irene's life, allowing her to experience healthy childhood development. AMHF explains, “Irene’s treatment will prevent infections from developing in the exposed nerves and tissues.” They add, “It will also prevent development of tethered cord syndrome.” Irene’s mother tells AMHF, “I hope that Irene will be treated and that we can get back home.”

Meet Nauwasa, a two-week-old baby girl who lives with her parents and siblings in Tanzania. “Nauwasa was born with congenital deformity of both feet,” reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). This deformity—talipes equinovarus—is commonly known as clubfoot. In babies with clubfoot, the foot is twisted out of position due to short tendons in the foot and ankle. Approximately half of children with clubfoot have the condition in both feet, as is the case with Nauwasa. “If not treated,” AMHF explains, “Nauwasa will be forced to use the lateral aspect of her feet for walking, which will be painful and will severely affect her gait.” Treatment for Nauwasa includes surgery to release the tendons in her feet and ankles. Doctors will then move her feet into the proper position and place them in casts for up to two months. After the casts are removed, Nauwasa will wear braces for a year or more to maintain the proper position of her feet. Nauwasa’s parents are small-scale farmers who also raise livestock. They do not earn enough money to take care of their family and pay for Nauwasa’s medical care. $1,160 in funding pays for surgery for Nauwasa as well as cast changes, braces, and a four-month stay at the Plaster House, a rehabilitation facility. Nauwasa’s mother hopes that, after surgery, her daughter will be able to walk properly so that she does not feel different from her siblings or become dependent on others as she grows up. Let’s help fund surgery for Nauwasa!

Meet Akon, a cute newborn baby from Malawi, and just a few months old. Akon is the first-born child to a family that farms maize. Akon is a patient with our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM), and has a condition called hydrocephalus. He has a build-up of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain, leading to high intracranial pressure. The condition causes head enlargement in infants and can lead to muscular and cognitive disorders if not treated promptly. Akon's head has become so big that his neck can no longer support it, and he also has poor sight—another common symptom of the condition. For $992, we can treat Akon with a procedure that will use a shunt to drain the excess fluid from the brain. The fluid will be rerouted into the abdominal cavity where it can be reabsorbed. Funding will cover the costs of surgery, a seven-day hospital stay, labs, travel and lodging, and medications. After treatment, Akon’s head will normalize in size and the build-up of intracranial pressure will be relieved. WAM reports that Akon’s neck will be able to support his head and “he will regain his lost sight.” Though the family cannot afford the surgery, Akon’s parents are hopeful for their son’s future thanks to Watsi support. “I hope that the surgery will help my child regain his normal life,” Akon’s mother shares.