Two-year-old Gwaruga is a smiling little boy from Tanzania. He was born on January 1st, 2013 and will soon celebrate his third birthday. He was born with unilateral clubfoot, and uses the lateral aspect of his right foot when walking. He is in pain and his gait is affected. If left untreated, he may develop osteoarthritis. “Gwaruga’s mother is the second wife to her husband who has two wives and a total of fifteen children,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Gwaruga is very active and enjoys playing with all sorts of toys and tins. He also likes to play with mud making different shapes out of mud. He likes to hum when playing.” Gwaruga’s parents are small scale farmers and rely on growing and selling maize and peanuts. With so many dependents, Gwaruga’s parents have not been able to come up with enough money to cover the cost of treatment which their son needs. For $1,160, Gwaruga will receive treatment that includes surgery, casting, rehabilitation, and physiotherapy. After completing treatment, “Gwaruga’s right foot will be straight allowing him to walk on plantigrade,” says AMHF. “I will be happy to see my son able to walk properly like my other children,” his father says.

38-year-old Rahila is happily married with two children. She works with her husband in Nigeria who trades food and other goods to meet their daily needs and support their children. Rahila is currently pregnant with her third child, and our medical partner, Hope for West Africa (HFWA) has determined that the pregnancy is high-risk. She needs a cesarian section (C-section) to ensure a safe and healthy delivery. “We can not afford the money for the C-section,” Rahila shares. “We will be glad if anyone can assist us with the cost. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to have a chance.” $1,500 will cover the cost of Rahila’s procedure, which will take place at the Jos University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Rahila's baby is due in late January. “After the C-section, and on full recovery, she can go back to having a normal life,” says HFWA.

Guerline is 12 years old, and lives in central Haiti with her mother, father, and three brothers. She likes to go to school but she has not been able to attend for three years due to her heart condition. She likes going to church and helping her mother at home. Guerline has a condition called rheumatic mitral valve regurgitation, in which one of the valves of her heart does not adequately pump blood because it has been damaged by a fever. As a result, blood backs up into her heart, leading to heart failure. Because she has lived for so long with this condition, there is a chance it may no longer be repairable, but the only way to determine this is by inserting a catheter into the chambers of her heart. Since this is not possible in Haiti, arrangements are being made to bring her to Dominican Republic to perform this extremely important test in the hopes that she can have heart surgery later in the year. $1,500 will fund this diagnostic procedure, as well as all travel and transportation costs. “Following the catheterization procedure, Guerline and her family will know with certainty whether her condition is operable or not,” her doctor says. “If operable, plans will then be made to move forward with her surgery as soon as possible.” "I am hoping that the problem with my heart can be fixed so I can go back to school,” Guerline shares.

Meet Godiya, a 29-year-old woman from Nigeria. "She goes to her business place daily with her face full of smiles and hope, where she engages in buying and selling on small scales," shares our medical partner, Hope for West Africa. Godiya hopes to one day go back to school. One year ago, Godiya developed a painful lump in her breast. The lump causes her much discomfort and makes it difficult for her to go about her daily business. Godiya must have the breast mass surgically removed. $1,486 will cover the surgical procedure, necessary medications, and follow-up care. "I have always looked forward to having a normal life with the breast lump gone and pain free," Godiya says. "I know a day will come when all of this will come to reality."

Meet Maylin, a 21-month-old baby girl from Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us, “Maylin has two older sisters. Her mother works cleaning houses, and her father is a day worker doing construction in a town nearby. Unfortunately this type of work is inconsistent and pays poorly. As a result he struggles to earn enough money to support his family. Maylin loves to play with her sister Diana. Together, they use the cups and plates around the house to have little tea parties with their dolls. They both spend almost all of their time at home.” Maylin was diagnosed with acute malnutrition. “Maylin is below the average height and the average weight for her age,” WK reports, ”She currently is not consuming enough calories and enough quality foods. As a result her physical growth is stunted, and we worry her mental growth will be stunted as well.” As a result of food insecurity and marginalization, indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of stunting in the world. In addition to growth stunting, malnutrition can lead to lower IQ, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. $512 will fund the treatment Maylin needs to address her nutritional deficit and improve her low energy and subsequent limited mental potential. This involves micronutrient and food supplementation, deworming medication to rid Maylin of a parasitic infection, and nutrition education for her parents. With these combined efforts, Maylin will recoup her weight and height and strengthen her immune system, laying the foundation for a healthier future. “I just want a healthy baby,” shares Maylin’s mother.

When Ruth, a 13-year-old Tanzanian teenager turned nine, her legs started to bend inwards. “At first her parents thought that it was because of the cold weather, but when the condition got worse, she was taken to the hospital and parents were advised to do corrective surgery,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Ruth is in grade six and like geography, civics and Swahili subjects. She also enjoys playing netball with other students, even though ruth has not been able to run as fast she used to and complains of feeling pain on the knees. “Despite her condition and negative comments from her fellow pupils about her legs, Ruth is focused on her studies and is determined to finish school and continue with higher level of education,” adds AMHF. It’s Ruth’s dream to become a nurse when she grows up. The most likely cause of Ruth’s knock-knees is the high fluoride ion concentration in parts of Tanzania’s drinking water. If left untreated, Ruth will be at high risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age. “Ruth’s parents are small scale farmers—they rely on growing and selling maize and beans,” says AMHF. “They work hard to take care of their six children as well as other extended family members.” Their income covers the family’s daily expenses, but is not enough for the surgery. With $940, Ruth will undergo surgery and physical therapy to correct her knees. After the operation, Ruth will be able to walk normally, without knocking her knees.

“Nankunda is a jolly young lady with a beautiful smile,” shares our medical partner in Tanzania, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). The 22-year-old enjoys braiding people’s hair and has turned that into a business—she runs her own hair salon. Lately, the swelling on her left breast is bringing her discomfort. “A year ago she felt a burning sensation in her left breast,” says AMHF. Nankunda went to the National Referral Hospital, where she was assured the swelling was not cancerous. “She was scheduled for surgery but she couldn’t afford to pay for it,” adds AMHF. She sought help at a Health Centre and a government hospital, but was unable to find treatment at either places. With the possibility of the mass becoming cancerous, Nankunda’s best option is to undergo surgery to excise the mass. With $200, surgeons will remove the swelling and Nankunda will no longer be at risk for breast cancer. “After surgery Nankunda hopes to get well, live a happy life and continue working in her salon without much worry,” shares AMHF. Let’s help her get well!

“It's heartbreaking to hear the painful cries of Christina. Sometimes I wish I had the pain instead because she is so innocent,” shares Christina's father. Christina, a five-month-old girl from Kenya, has a condition called hydrocephalus, where she has an abnormal head size due to the accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid in her head. If Christina, a patient with the African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), is not treated, the fluid might cause brain damage. She is also “irritable due to the high intra-cranial pressure exerted on the brain,” shares AMHF. $615 funds a treatment that will place a shunt into Christina's head to drain the excess fluid. The surgical care will “regulate the intra-cranial pressure in her head and lessen irritability.” Christina is the youngest in a family of seven children, and her father works as a security guard while her mother stays at home and takes care of the children. Her parents cannot afford this treatment, but “hope that Christina will be able to get the surgery she desperately needs.”

Chit Sandar was born at the Hpa-an General Hospital in Burma. At six months old she became sick with a fever. Her mother took her to the doctor where she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a life-threatening condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain. Burma has one of the most under-funded healthcare systems in the world, with little government assistance. The Burmese government spends approximately $37 per person per year on healthcare in contrast to, for example, the US which spends $9,146. Chit Sandar's mother could not afford to pay for her surgery, which meant they had to return home from the doctor without receiving care. After they returned home, Chit Sandar's condition continued to worsen. The circumference of her head expanded as a result of the fluid buildup in her brain and she started experiencing loss of consciousness, sunken eyes, and sometimes she would lose control of her head movements all together. Chit Sandar needs a ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement, which will drain the fluid from the brain and cure her hydrocephalus. $1,485 will cover the cost of Chit Sandar's surgery which will be provided at the Chiang Mai Hospital in Thailand. Chit Sandar's mother wants her daughter to survive surgery, receive a good education, and grow up to support a family of her own.

“After I am healed I want to cook food, and plant crops like banana, eggplant, and chili around my home for my family to eat,” shares Yoan, a 78-year-old woman from Cambodia. “Yoan is married with four sons, three daughters, and 25 grandchildren,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “She enjoys reading the Buddhist book in Khmer and taking care of her home.” Yoan recently developed a cataract in each eye. A cataract is a condition in which there is progressive clouding in the internal lens of the eye. “This causes her blurred vision, burning, tearing, some pain, and irritation,” says CSC. “It is hard for her to see anyone and everything clearly, do work, or go anywhere on her own.” For $225, Yoan will receive surgery to restore her eyesight. Funds will cover surgical costs, medicine, and her two-day hospital stay. Cataracts are treated through a simple procedure, taking only 45 minutes to complete. Doctors will surgically remove the clouded lens and replace it with a clear artificial lens. Within a day of her recovery, Yoan is expected to have her vision restored.