Hardwel is a farmer from Malawi. He recently traveled to our medical partner’s care center, Kabudula Community Hospital. Kabudula is a rural community outside of the capital city of Lilongwe. The health catchment area serves roughly 350,000 people, but the health centers and the hospital are often poorly stocked and staffed.  One of Hardwel’s teeth has been causing him bothersome symptoms. Diet is an issue for dental health in Malawi, where sugarcane is prevalent. Also, there is little to no oral health education in Malawi and limited access to a dental professional. In fact, there are fewer than 20 dentists across the country. Fortunately, a visiting dentist will perform a dental extraction. A dental extraction is a simple procedure with few risks, and it will result in a significant reduction in his symptoms. Hardwel is scheduled to undergo treatment on July 18. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting just $28 to fund the procedure.

Jane is a 36-year-old mother of two from Kenya. Jane's husband works as a driver, and Jane used to work in a grocery shop. She stopped working about two years ago after the delivery of her second child when she noticed a small lump on her breast. After a number of clinical visits and diagnostic tests, Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2017. She went to two hospitals, however she could not afford the quoted price for surgery at either one. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $816 to fund a mastectomy for Jane. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 30 and, once completed, will hopefully allow Jane to live more comfortably, without the risk of the cancer metastasizing. “I want to be treated and continue providing for my young children and husband," says Jane.

Angela is a two-year-old little girl from Kenya. She is the youngest child in her family. She lives with her mother and grandparents. Her grandfather works as a barber, and her grandmother works as a farmer to support their family. In early 2017, Angela sustained burn injuries on her hand from a fire accident. She was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries. However, now she is having difficulty using her hand, and so has been recommended for contracture release surgery. On March 7, Angela will undergo surgery at our medical partner's care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is asking for $1,176 in funds to cover the cost of her procedure and accompanying lab, hospital, and medicine fees. "After treatment, I want my child to be able to utilize her fingers as she grows up," says Angela's mother.

Blanca is an 18-month-old girl from Guatemala. Her parents cannot afford to give her the calories, protein, and nutrients she needs to grow. For this reason, she is only the size of a health nine-month-old. She also falls ill often. Blanca has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. She has little energy to grow, and her immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. She is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, she began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Blanca loves to play with her doll and eat oranges and bananas. She lives with her family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. Her father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops on a local plantation. Her mother is a weaver of traditional Mayan textiles. 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 Blanca recover. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age, and her immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Blanca a chance to grow healthy and strong. "I am so grateful for this support for my daughter," says Blanca's mother.

Six-month-old Cristhofer is the youngest of two children. He lives with his family in a one-room cinderblock house in Guatemala. His mother is raising him alone, and works cooking, cleaning, and taking care of him and his siblings, as well as washing neighbors’ clothes to earn a little money. Although his mom wants the best for him, she does not have the resources to feed him even one vegetable, piece of fruit, or egg—the minimum that he needs to be able to overcome malnutrition. When he was born, Cristhofer had to spend the first weeks of his life hospitalized for pneumonia. Since then, he has not been able to catch up to a normal weight. His mother says that he is almost always sick and never has an appetite—that is because he hasn’t had a healthy diet filled with protein, calories, and nutrients. If he does not receive treatment, Cristhofer could face the consequences of malnutrition for the rest of his life—he could have a low IQ, trouble focusing in school, and a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as an adult. All these consequences make it less likely he will have a well-paying job as an adult, meaning the cycle of poverty and malnutrition would continue if he decides to have kids. Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Cristhofer recover from malnutrition. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to gain motor skills and learn new words instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. His mother will receive the support she need to feel empowered to give Cristhofer the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with limited resources. Intervention now will give Cristhofer the chance to live a healthy and productive life and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.

10-month-old Bayron lives with his older brother and his parents in a rented one-room house made of tin in Guatemala. Bayron loves to play ball with his older siblings. His father works as a day laborer, harvesting corn, beans, and squash for a neighbor’s plantation. His mother works at home, taking care of her Bayron and his siblings, cooking, and cleaning. Although both his parents work hard, they cannot afford to give him even one piece of fruit, egg, or vegetable per day. Bayron has not been growing well, has little appetite, and is getting sick often. This is because he has a poor diet, which is lacking in protein, calories, and nutrients. His immune system is weak, and he has been getting sick frequently--in the past two weeks alone he has had a cough, and a fever, conditions that are dangerous for a child suffering from acute malnutrition. In left untreated, malnutrition could have a devastating effect on his mental development and result in a greater risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension as an adult. Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Bayron recover from malnutrition--saving his life now and putting him on track to live a better life in the future. His parents will receive support to give Bayron the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with their limited resources. Intervention now will prevent the future consequences of malnutrition. Treatment will give Bayron the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place. Bayron's parents share, "We hope that he can study so he can have a good future."

23-month-old Kervens was born with two holes in his heart: one between the two upper chambers, the other between the two lower chambers. Blood leaks through these holes without first passing through the lungs to get oxygen, leaving him sickly and weak. Because of the nature of his condition, the only way to know whether surgery is possible for Kervens is to first do a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, in which a catheter probe is inserted into his heart in order to take detailed measurements. The results of this test will determine whether he is operable, and if he is, his doctors will then go on to arrange surgery. This procedure is not available in Haiti, so he must travel to the Dominican Republic to undergo the test. Kervens is a very calm and happy child who likes to be carried and to meet new people. Kervens lives in northern Haiti with his mother, aunt, and an older sister. His mother is currently unemployed and looking for work, and so the cost of the diagnostic test that her son urgently needs is beyond her financial means. "My family is all praying that the test will go well and Kervens will be able to have his surgery," Kervens’ mother shares.

Meet Soth, a 64-year-old man from Cambodia. “Soth is married with four sons, six daughters, and five grandchildren. He enjoys watching boxing on TV and listening to monks pray on the radio," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Two years ago, Soth developed mature cataracts in each eye. A cataract occurs when a thin, cloudy layer forms over the eye’s lens. "This causes him blurred vision, discharge, tearing, and fear of bright lights. It is hard for him to see clearly, do work, or go anywhere outside," CSC explains. After learning about CSC, Soth and his son travelled three hours to visit their clinic. They learned that a simple surgical procedure may restore Soth's sight. With $225, Soth will undergo cataract surgery, during which his old lenses will be removed and replaced with sheer artificial implants, allowing him to see again immediately after his operation.

Bharat, a 45-year-old man from Nepal, broke his arm when he was walking down the flight of stairs of his house. It had been raining the whole night and the water had seeped in from the roof to the stairs. After he injured himself, Bharat was brought to the health post by his son. He was given a sling and told to go to the hospital for further treatment. The X-ray showed that it needed surgery to be fixed. Bharat and his wife work as farmers to provide for his family of six. His eldest child currently studies in the capital city, Kathmandu, while the rest of his children stay with him and go to school. They help the family with cattle grazing and the farms. In order to treat Bharat's fractured arm, he will undergo surgery to realign the bones so they heal properly. Surgery plus four days in the hospital will cost $579. "It's difficult now with this injury," Bharat says. "We rely on farming and it is intensive labour. My children will have to take this on until I get better."

Bean is a 50-year-old rice farmer. She is married with two sons and one daughter and lives with her family in Cambodia. Bean enjoys listening to social news on the radio and working around her home. 10 years ago, Bean developed a pterygium in each eye. A pterygium is a cyst that starts on the clear tissue of the eye and can spread to the cornea. This caused her blurred vision, burning, tearing, irritation, and she is afraid of the bright sunshine. She can't do work well or get around easily on her own. After traveling for four hours with her daughter, Bean was able to visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) for medical help. Doctors from CSC will perform a pterygium excision surgery, which costs $150. Bean's burning and irritation will be relieved and the cysts will be removed from each eye. "I hope I can continue my work on the farm with a comfortable feeling," shares Bean.

Antony lives with his younger sibling and mother at his grandmother’s place in central Kenya. Now that his parents have parted ways, his mother does casual tasks such as laundry and farming for their neighbors. Despite being single, she strives to give her children the best. At the age of six months, doctors at a local clinic confirmed that Antony had a right undescended testis. His mother was advised to wait until he was two for treatment, as there was a probability of having the testis descend on its own. Once Antony turned two, Antony’s family could not afford to bring him to the hospital. For $540, doctors at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), will be able to have an orchiopexy, surgery that will move the undescended testicle into the scrotum and permanently fix it there. Without treatment, Antony may develop a hernia, become infertile, or have testicular cancer. “I feel helpless that I cannot give this (treatment) to Antony as much as I would love to," shares Antony's mother. "I will appreciate if I get help from Watsi to fund for my son’s surgical care."

Meet Samnang, an eight-year-old boy living in Cambodia. Samnang loves to play, whether it’s by himself, with toys, or with companions. He has one younger sister. For over seven years now—almost his entire life—both of Samnang’s ears have had chronic inflammation, a condition known as otitis media. This causes his ears to leak discharge frequently, and has also created small holes in both of his eardrums. As a result, Samnang has lost much of his hearing, and has trouble speaking. Samnang experiences discomfort in his ears on a daily basis. And his disease could have longer-term repercussions for him, as well, if he is not treated. Because Samnang's hearing and speaking abilities are so delayed, he is not able to attend school—a difficult setback, if it remains permanent. For $598, we can sponsor the operations Samnang needs: a myringoplasty in each ear. During this procedure, doctors will close the holes in Samnang’s ear drums using skin grafts from elsewhere on his body. He will receive the operation in his left ear in June, and will then receive the operation in his right ear about six weeks later. His funding will also cover the two-day hospital stay that Samnang will need to recover from each surgery. After the operation, the discharge and pain that Samnang has been experiencing will stop. Over time, his hearing will improve. Samnang will also be given access to speech therapy at CSC free of charge. Let’s put Samnang back on track to communicate more easily with those around him, and to return to school.