Dylan is a little baby from Colombia who is the firstborn of his family. Dylan's father is 20 years old and works at a furniture factory while his 18-year-old mother is at home with her newborn. Dylan enjoys listening to music. With his beautiful eyes, he already attracts the affection of all around him. Dylan was born with clubfoot on both feet, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This will cause difficulty walking and even wearing shoes in the future. Dylan's family traveled to visit our medical partner, Clínica Noel. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 26th. Clínica Noel is requesting $1,500 to fund Dylan's bilateral clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to crawl, walk, and run as he grows up. His mother shares,"I would love to see him run and play as a normal kid." His father tells us of his grand hopes for young Dylan's future, "I would love to see him playing soccer and to celebrate with him when he becomes a champion."

Rizza is a three-year-old girl from the mountainous region of Negros Oriental in the Philippines. She loves to play with her two siblings and other neighborhood children. One of her favorite games is hide-and-seek. Her parents are both farmers and work long hours to provide for their family. Rizza has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. "I hope she will recover," says her mother. Our medical partner, International Care Ministries, is requesting $268 to cover the cost of an in-home feeding program to treat Rizza's malnutrition. This will pay for nutrient-enriched food packs, weekly visits from medical staff, and health education for family members. Rizza is scheduled to begin treatment on February 21. After treatment, she will return to playing hide-and-seek.

Imanirankunda is 28 years old and married. She and her husband are refugees from The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are now living in a refugee camp in Uganda where they have been since February of 2016. Before that, they were living in a camp in Burundi. In 2013, Imanirankunda delivered her first child by cesarian section (C-section) in Burundi. Unfortunately, the baby died at the age of two and a half years. A friend she met in Burundi helped pay for her surgery at the time. She is now 37 weeks pregnant and is unable to deliver normally because of her previous scar, a contracted pelvis, and she is physically challenged – she cannot walk. Imanirankunda's legs are too weak as she contracted polio when she was very young. If Imanirankunda does not deliver through a C-section, she may suffer uterine rupture which would endanger both her and her child's life. Uterine rupture's occur when there is a tear in the wall of the uterus, typically at the site of a prior C-section scar. A C-section will cost $270, which covers the surgery and seven days in the hospital to ensure Imanirankunda and the baby's health. While still in DRC, Imanirankunda learned how to read, write, and use a sewing machine. If she had a sewing machine and a wheel chair to sit in, she would be able to start an income-generating sewing project. After surgery and delivery, she hopes to take care of her baby with the help of her husband, friends, and other good-willed people. “I hope to deliver a healthy baby," Imanirankunda shares. "I am glad my hands are strong, so I will be able to hold my baby.”

Fedrick is a polite sixteen-year-old boy from Tanzania. He is the sixth born in a family of eleven children, but ever since he was a little boy he has been living with his grandparents. Fedrick’s grandparents are elderly, and can no longer manage the cattle herd that is their livelihood. So, for some time now, Fedrick has missed out on school so that he can help them. Apart from herding cattle, Fedrick also enjoys playing soccer with other children. Fedrick has become very good at herding cattle, but recently he has developed a physical problem that makes it hard for him to do this work. His right limb has begun to bow inwards, and is now bent to a point where it is difficult for him to walk without knocking his knees. This condition has reduced Federick’s efficiency in cattle herding, and he sometimes feel pain in his right knee. Fedrick needs corrective surgery to restore his normal gait and ability to better perform various activities. However, coming up with enough money for Fedrick’s treatment has been a challenge for his family. His parents, who are small-scale farmers, can already barely meet the basic daily needs of their eleven children and of Fedrick’s grandparents, whom they also support. That’s where we come in. $940 will cover the cost of the surgery that Fedrick needs to restore the bones of his right leg back to a normal position. This funding will also pay for Fedrick to receive two weeks of physical therapy and a three-month stay at Plaster House, a recovery center for children who have undergone major surgery. After these treatments, Fedrick will be able to walk again comfortably. Someday, Fedrick says, he would like to be an organic farmer. We can help him pursue this dream by ensuring that he can walk without pain.

“I would love to get well and go back to work,” shares Walter, a 50-year-old widower from Kenya who fractured his left upper and lower leg in a motorcycle accident last fall. “Before the accident, Walter had been a casual laborer, moving from one homestead to another in search of casual labor for sustenance,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Since the accident, he has been unable to work on people’s farms due to his painful leg. With no income and no contact with his two daughters, Walter has had to rely on friends for financial support. “He has no place to call home, he owns nothing, and relies on [a friend] for his upkeep.” Walter needs surgery—open reduction and internal fixation—to reposition and set the broken bones of his upper and lower left leg and enable proper healing. Without treatment, “the pain will persist and there [is a risk of a] bone infection in Walter's leg,” explains AMHF. $1,410 pays for the surgery that Walter needs. Funding also covers the cost of seven days of hospital care, including imaging, blood tests, pain medicine and antibiotics, and physical therapy. “It is expected that after the treatment, Walter will have easy mobility and will be relieved of the pain,” says AMHF. “He will be able to work and earn a living.” Walter looks forward to a successful operation. “I will improve my life and help others as I have been assisted,” he said.