Keo Mony is a 38-year-old soldier who is married with one son and four daughters. He likes to watch TV, read magazines, and go fishing in his free time. Keo Mony has been diagnosed with bilateral hip avascular necrosis (AVN), which causes his bone tissue to break down. He experiences pain in both of his hips. In December, Keo Mony traveled for two hours with his wife to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Surgeons successfully performed a total hip replacement on his right side. His right side feels better, but he still experiences pain on his left side. Therefore, surgeons at CSC will perform a total hip replacement on Keo Mony's left side to relieve him of this pain. His surgery is scheduled for February 9. Keo Mony's family cannot afford to pay for this treatment, so CSC is requesting $781 in funding.

Brandon is a 13-month-old boy from Guatemala. He has little appetite, and he falls ill often. He has not been getting the nutritious diet his body needs, and his mother is very worried. Brandon has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, he began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Brandon loves to play with his little toy car and eat squash. He lives with his older brother and his parents in a one-room adobe house. His father works as a day laborer, and his mother works in the house. Although both his parents work hard, they cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Brandon recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Brandon a chance to grow healthy and strong. "I am ready to fight for my son," says Brandon's mother, "so that he has a better diet and can grow up and go to school to become a teacher."

This is Francis, a four-year-old boy from the Philippines. Francis loves watching TV and playing with his friends. He currently lives in his grandmother's house. Both of his parents are street vendors, but they don't make enough money to provide a nutritious diet. Consequently, Francis has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Fortunately, Francis began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 17, 2016. Francis 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.

"Sreang is a 68-year-old farmer married with seven daughters and 10 grandchildren," our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. "She enjoys listening to the monks praying and listening to news on the radio." "Sreang developed a cataract in each eye four years ago. This causes her blurred vision, photophobia, and pain. She can't see anything clearly, do work well, or get around easily on her own," CSC reports. Cataracts are a common cause of preventable blindness in Cambodia and often go untreated. People in rural areas are especially likely to go without care. Hoping to treat her cataracts and prevent blindness, Sreang traveled five hours with her brother to reach CSC's treatment center. For $292, she'll receive cataract surgery in both eyes. Surgeons will remove the old, cloudy lenses in her eyes and replace them with implants, allowing her to see clearly once again.

Witson is a 77-year-old farmer from Malawi. He lives with his wife, with whom he has have seven children and many grandchildren. When Witson isn't farming maize and sweet potatoes, he spends time building fences and participating in other home-based work. He likes to read the bible in his spare time. For the past five months, Witson has been failing to urinate properly and has been in a tremendous amount of pain due to an enlarged prostate. Although Witson didn't know much about the surgery before coming to Nkhoma District Hospital, a Watsi care center, he is feeling hopeful that he will soon be pain free. He is looking forward to returning home so he can continue farming and spending time with his wife, who he loves to laugh with. $726 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Witson needs. The surgery will remove part of his enlarged prostate, easing his symptoms. Witson said, "I have accepted this with my whole heart and am ready to go for the surgery."

Aye Win is a 36-year-old woman who lives in a village in Burma. She lives with her mother and two children, a son and daughter. Aye Win sells snacks in her village and earns about 3,000 Kyat (approx. 3 USD) per day. She is the sole supporter for her family. The income is enough to cover daily expenses and basic medical care when necessary, but is not enough to save any money. Four years ago was a very difficult time for Aye Win. In the span of a few months, her six-month-old child and her husband passed away. She developed two masses in a sensitive area that have grown now to the size of a grapefruit. They are very uncomfortable, and make it difficult for Aye Win to function in her daily life. $1,500 will fund the surgery Aye Win needs to remove the masses, which cause her numbness, headaches, weight loss, and abdominal pain. "I hope to get surgery so I can live a normal life and return to my work," Aye Win shared. "I want to be an agriculture day laborer in the future to make more money for my family."