“Paulina is a cute, two-month-old baby girl,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). The fourth child in her family, Paulina lives with her parents and siblings on their small farm in Tanzania. Paulina was born with a lesion on her back due to a condition called myelomeningocele--a form of spina bifida that occurs when a baby’s spinal cord improperly develops prior to birth. AMHF explains, “Paulina has a lesion on her lower back, which can easily burst and [leak] cerebrospinal fluid which, if untreated, can lead to other big health problems.” Shortly following her at-home delivery, Paulina and her mother were taken to the hospital, where Paulina’s mother was advised to take her daughter to a bigger hospital for back closure. Both of Paulina’s parents are small-scale farmers. As AMHF states, “They did not harvest well the last two seasons so their financial situation is currently not good. They need financial support so that their daughter can have surgery done.” With $1,200 in Watsi funding, Paulina can undergo surgery to treat her spinal cord defect. The opening on her back will be closed, preventing her from losing cerebrospinal fluid and easily contracting infection. “My hope is for my daughter to get well, continue with normal growth, and later on, go to school and live an independent life,” Paulina’s mother says.