Sophy is a 42-year-old noodle seller from Cambodia. She and her husband have been married for 19 years and have two children together, one son and one daughter, both in elementary school. Her husband is a farmer and sells his vegetables at the same market where Sophy works. She spends much of her time looking after their two young children, and taking them to play outside in nature. In March 2020, she dislocated her left elbow in an accidental fall. A neighbor made a splint out of bamboo for her, which she wore for three weeks. However, her elbow soon became swollen and stiff. She is unable to use her left arm, and she feels a constant mild pain in her elbow. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On July 13th, Sophy will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. This procedure will allow Sophy to regain movement of her arm and reduce the pain. Sophy said, "I am looking forward to picking my kids up in my arms and playing with them again once my elbow feels no pain."

Jane is a 65-year-old farmer from Kenya. She lives in a 3 room house that is built on their ancestral home in South Kinangop. Her husband passed on in 2004. Together, they had 4 children, all of whom are now adults. Jane does small scale farming mainly for home use, and does not have a source of income. Currently, none of her children have stable employment, and are unable to financially support Jane for the care that she needs. Jane has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $857 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Jane. The procedure is scheduled to take place on December 9th. After treatment, Jane will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Jane shared, "I thought the itching on my breast was just normal but I was wrong. It has turned out to be cancer which I know can cause death if not controlled. Doctors say I need this surgery to help stop its spread, but I know I cannot afford it."

Theav is a 24-year-old Khmer teacher from Cambodia. She has six siblings and is the third child. Since finishing high school, she has gone to teach Khmer language in her community everyday. She enjoys listening to music and planting flowers around home in her free time. When Theav was just a child her leg had a swelling and redness that caused her mom to take her to a Khmer traditional healer. They were able to improve the condition of her leg so she could walk, but about 14 years later she noticed problems with the same leg. It became painful and she had to start walking with a crutch. Doctors have examined her leg and discovered a non-union tibia fracture. Going in public with her condition is upsetting to her and makes her shy. Presently, the pain is bad enough to prevent her from walking at all. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On April 28th, Theav will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. The procedure will help her leg straighten allowing her to walk without any pain in the future. "I hope that I will be able to walk better. I will continue my study at university and want to become a teacher of Khmer literature when I graduate," Theav said.

Ampaire is a nursing assistant from Uganda. She is married and a mother to one child after she lost one pregnancy. She earns a living through small scale farming as a well as working as a nursing assistant in a small clinic near to their home. Her husband is a bodaboda driver. Two years ago, Ampaire began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty breathing and neck disfigurement. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Ampaire receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 27th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $240, and she and her family need help raising money. Ampaire says, “I hope for good results out of my surgery, a better health and a living so that I can continue with my work as a nursing assistant.”

Johnson is a 2-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the last born in a family of three children and was born with a left clubfoot. His condition is causing worry for his parents. They tried to seek doctor's advice from a local hospital and were referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center ALMC/Plaster House. Johnson has been diagnosed with a left positional clubfoot which needs manipulation and casting to correct his foot so that he does not grow up disabled. If this condition is not treated Johnson will have difficulty learning to stand and walk when the time comes. He will also not be able to wear normal shoes and walking will always be difficult for him. Johnson’s father works as bodaboda taxi driver to be able to care for and support his family. They also practice small-scale farming where they grow crops for their own family. Their income is not enough to pay for their basic needs and still afford their son’s treatment cost so they are asking for help. Fortunately, Johnson's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on October 9th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Johnson's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily when he grows up and develop like any other child. Johnson’s mother shared, “We wouldn’t want our son to grow up disabled. Please help us we since we are unable to afford the treatment cost as our income is not enough.”

Mom is a 27-year-old farmer from Cambodia. She and her husband have two sons together. Her husband works on local village farms making latex, and she helps take care of a rubber plantation near her home. She spends her time caring for her sons and cooking meals for their family, and in her free time she likes to watch TV and take walks around her home. Eight years ago, Mom had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear ear to perforate. For this reason, Mom experiences hearing loss, tinnitus and ear discharge. She can't communicate clearly with other people, and often has headaches, making it difficult for her to work. Mom traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On September 9th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Mom said, "I want to work easily everyday to get money for my family, but I really want to hear my family talking with each other and calling to me."

Gladness is a two-month-old baby girl from Tanzania and the last born in a family of two children. Both parents depend on small-scale farming for a living and their income is very limited. Gladness has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Gladness traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Gladness's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes. Gladness’ mother shared: “Please help us, our daughter needs this treatment but the cost is too high for us to afford.”

Susan is married and a mother of two who are still in school. Currently, she sells food to neighbors and drivers. Susan shared that the last five years have been very challenging because her husband has been serving jail time for something which he did not do. He was released in January of 2020 and was not able to find work before the COVID-19 lockdown. Over the last two years, Susan has been experiencing pain and fullness in her abdomen. At times the pain gets severe and causes vomiting. She has been diagnosed with gallstones. Her doctor adviser her that she needs a cholecystectomy. If Susan is not treated she will continue to experience pain, her vomiting may get worse, and she may also experience gall bladder inflammation. Fortunately our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, can help. They are requesting $788 to help fund the cost of this surgery. Susan shared, “My husband is currently recovering from his time in jail and so I have no one to turn to. I pray that I may get help so that I am able to support my family and help my husband find a job. Then, we can support each other. I would appreciate Watsi's support."

SreyNeng is a 13-year-old girl in 7th grade. Her best subject in school is math. SreyNeng has one brother and one sister. Her mother is a farmer and her father is a truck driver. She enjoys reading books, doing her school work, playing with toys with her siblings, and watching TV. SreyNeng's favorite thing to eat and drink is chicken fried rice and coke. SreyNeng has congenital torticollis, a condition that makes muscles of the neck contract and the head to twist to one side. It is difficult for her to rotate her neck. Surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre will perform a tenotomy to release the tendon on the right side of her neck. This procedure will correct her condition and she will be able to move her neck with full range of motion for the first time.

Ou is a 33-year-old vegetable farmer from Cambodia. He has three daughters, with two of them attending school. He takes his daughters to school every morning, and after that he enjoys doing exercise, listening to news on the radio, and helping his wife with housework. In 2018, Ou was in a motor accident that caused a fracture in his left forearm. After that, he went to a provincial hospital, where he received and installation of plate and screws. However, the fracture became infected and has yet to heal properly. Now, he cannot move his arm in any direction, and he is in constant pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 11th, Ou will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. With this procedure, the doctor will treat the fracture and help him regain the use of his arm again. Ou said, "I hope that with the use of my arm, I can continue working my farm again. Most importantly, I just want to be able to take care of my daughters the best I can."

Alex is a four-year-old playful boy. He has struggled with his hearing since birth. However, the condition became known when he has 9 months old. His parents took him to different hospitals seeking care. He had several tests run over the period. In 2020, his parents were advised to seek care at Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Kijabe Hospital where Alex had hearing aids recommended. He only perceives loud noises or barely speaks. Alex’s parents are peasants from Nyeri county. His father works as a miner in a stone quarry near their home while his mother is a housewife. Their daily income is about $4 which is too low to meet the cost required. Alex has one sibling and together, they live with their parents in a two-roomed rental house. His father appeals for financial assistance. Alex’s father says, “Our hope is to see Alex being able to talk and lead a normal life.”

Hla is a 41-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her family in a village in Kawkareik Township in Karen State. Hla is a homemaker, raises livestock, and looks after her niece while her sister teaches at a nursery school in the village. Her two younger sons and her brother-in-law are subsistence farmers who grow rice on rented land. Hla’s oldest son is a distance education student in university. One year ago, Hla felt a painless growth when she touched her lower abdomen. That same day, she went to see a traditional birth attendant (TBA) about this. The TBA told her that she had a gastric problem. The next day, Hla went to see a traditional healer receive blessed water in the hopes it would make the growth disappear. Although she drank the blessed water for around two months, the growth remained. As she did not think that the growth would make her seriously ill, she did not go to a clinic. In January 2020, Hla felt like the growth was increasing in size. She decided to visit Kawkareik Private Clinic where the doctor performed an ultrasound. She was told that she had a mass in her uterus. The doctor provided her with painkillers and she was told to only take it when she is in pain. Hla has been experiencing back pain and the mass increases in size day by day. She has been diagnosed with a uterine mass and has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Hla's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Hla is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on March 13th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer experience back pain and she will be able continue working and helping out at home. Hla said, "I'm very scared when I heard that I need to receive surgery. When I got home, my family and friends encouraged me to not be afraid because there were many other people who had the same condition who recovered and became healthy again."