Gift is 6-month-old baby from Kenya. We met Gift at Watsi's Partner Care Center with her mother Silvia. She was sleepy and looked tired after traveling for over 6 hours from their home just to get a doctor's check-up. She is youngest in their family of two kids. Her mother is a housewife, while her father is a farmer and a casual laborer in construction sites. Gift has clubfoot of both feet. She has been on casting since birth and tenotomy was done when she was two months old however the deformity has never corrected. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes as she grows up. Fortunately, Gift traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on May 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,224 to fund Gift's clubfoot repair. After treatment, the bones will realign so that her feet can face in the right direction and she will be able to put on shoes and walk uprightly when she is older. “My joy would be to see my daughter walking well like other children and I would request you to help my daughter undergo surgery,” Gift’s mother told us.

Ryan is a young boy from Kenya who is an only child. He lives with his mother, grandparents, uncles, and aunts in a two-room house in Central region of Kenya. His mother is a college student and they all rely on his grandmother who practices farming to fend for the family. Ryan’s father left them when Ryan was only four months old. His grandfather is sickly, thus cannot work. Ryan was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Ryan has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Ryan will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 21st. AMHF is requesting $542 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “I really appreciate my neighbor for bringing us here. I wouldn’t have known or thought of a way to get help,” shared Ryan’s grandmother.

Marvalie is a preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three siblings in a rural area of southwest Haiti; her parents are farmers. She has not yet started school due to her illness. Marvalie has a cardiac condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. This condition involves several related defects including a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart, and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. Marvalie will fly to Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On March 6th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which Surgeons will close the hole in her heart with a patch, and remove the muscular blockage from her valve. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman, is contributing $17,000 to pay for surgery. Marvalie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Marvalie's family overseas. Her mother said, "Our family has been praying for a cure since our daughter was a small baby, we are very happy to know our prayers are being answered!"

Witness is a student from Tanzania who is the first born child in a family of four children. She is smart, intelligent, and very hard working girl. Witness has completed her form four education and is currently waiting for her results to be able to join form five and six. She wishes to be a laboratory technician when she completes her studies and be able to support her parents and siblings. Witness’ father used to work as foreman at a construction site but after the project matured he has not been able to get any other job thus he is now forced to seek any casual day jobs to be able to support his family. The mother sells vegetables and the little income she gets she helps her husband to support her family. Witness was diagnosed with right genu varus. Her leg is bowed so that her knees cannot touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she has difficulty walking. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $838 to fund corrective surgery for Witness. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 24th. Treatment will hopefully restore Witness's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Witness says, “My secondary education has been really challenging for me due to my leg’s condition. If you can help correct my leg I would be able to continue with my further studies with ease without all this challenges I am going through.”

Chheng is a 50-year-old clothes seller from Cambodia. She enjoys cooking for her family, including one son and one daughter, and likes to watch television in her free time. For the last ten years, Chheng has suffered from swelling and pain in her left knee. She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her left knee and cannot stand for a long period of time, and now has difficulty walking comfortably. Fortunately, Chheng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. At CSC, surgeons can perform a total knee replacement to relieve Chheng of her pain and allow her to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for January 6th, and Chheng needs help raising $1,087 to pay for this procedure. I hope that I will no longer be in any pain, and I will be able to walk well again and return to my work," Chheng said.

Faith, the only child in her family, was doing well all along until she turned three years. She started to have difficulty hearing and her mother had to shout for her to hear. Her mother at first thought Faith was just being naughty. As years progressed, Faith's hearing became limited. She was unable to go to school as she struggles to hear what the teacher says. Her mother tried to have her ears cleaned from a nearby dispensary. With the condition's persistence, she had tests run in a different hospital and was diagnosed with hearing loss. The cost of the hearing aids was high for Faith's mother. They were advised to seek care in Kijabe by a friend with hopes of subsidized charges. Faith’s mother cannot raise the funds needed and so appeals for help. Faith's mother does casual tasks such as laundry in the neighborhood and she was abandoned by her father before she was born. They are only able to aise 15,000 Kenyan Shillings which cannot fully cover the cost of the hearing aids. “If I get the hearing aids I will go to school again,” says Faith with a bright smile.

Since birth, Sim has had a malformation of her spine, which she worries is slowly getting worse with time. Her scoliosis causes her pain in her legs, difficulty sleeping, and she is unable to sit for long periods of time. With surgery, Sim will be able to walk again with ease and will be able to sit and sleep comfortably. She will not have to worry that her condition will worsen, and she can return to her work. Sim enjoys watching television, listening to the news, and helping with the housework in her spare time.

In June 2019, Seyha suffered injuries to his left hand after improperly handling a knife. His wound has since healed, but he often feel numbness in his hand and cannot flex two of his fingers. Surgery will reconstruct and repair the damaged nerves and tendons, allowing Seyha to fully flex his fingers and regain feeling in his hand. He enjoys playing soccer and listening to music, and is looking forward to returning to his work and home so he can take care of his two daughters.

Simon is a child from Tanzania. He is the second born child to a family of four children. Simon’s parents depend on small scale farming of maize, beans and cassavas for their living. Simon has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Simon has been experiencing an increasing head circumference and inter-cranial pressure. Without treatment, Simon will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $728 to cover the cost of surgery for Simon that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 2nd and will drain the excess fluid from Simon's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Simon will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Simon’s mother says, “My son was doing so well after the surgery but now he is going through a lot of pain, he can’t eat well please help my son.”

Syndie is a student from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three siblings on a small farm in the mountains of southern Haiti. She likes going to school and helping her parents around the farm. Syndie has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves in her heart was severely damaged due to a fever she suffered earlier in childhood, and cannot adequately pump blood through her body. Syndie will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On July 29, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will first attempt to repair the damaged valve, and if this is not possible they will implant an artificial replacement. Another organization, Mitral Foundation, is contributing $6,000 to pay for surgery. Syndie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Syndie's family overseas. She says, "I am looking forward to having more energy and better health after my surgery!"

Bunthoeun is a 43-year-old man from Cambodia. He has two sons, and enjoys playing sports and watching television in his free time. When he was a child, Bunthoeun had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Bunthoeun experiences ear discharge, pain, irritation, headaches, itchiness, tinnitus, and hearing loss. It is difficult for him to listen and communicate with others. Bunthoeun traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On May 3, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. He says, "I hope that after my surgery, I will no longer have any ear infection or ear discharge and my hearing will improve."

Ibrahim is a baby from Kenya. He is an only child who lives with his parents in the coastal region of Kenya. Ibrahim was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Ibrahim is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,097 to cover the cost of Ibrahim's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on May 2. This procedure will hopefully spare Ibrahim from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory.