Htay is a 43-year-old woman who lives and works with her nieces and nephew on a cabbage farm in Thailand. Since 2016, Htay has had pain in her lower right abdomen. When the pain started, she received medication from a clinic, which helped. However, in 2017 Htay’s symptoms returned. She went back to the clinic, and was diagnosed with a gallstone in the common bile duct. After being diagnosed she was sent to the hospital, where the doctors confirmed her diagnosis and told her that she needed surgery. “I want to recover very soon so that I can return to my work," said Htay. Watsi is requesting $1,500 to help fund Htay's treatment. She will undergo a biliary obstruction repair on August 28.

Meet Thidar, a 23-year-old woman from Burma. Thidar has worked as a housemaid in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Thidar now lives with her parents and younger brother. When Thidar was two years old, she was diagnosed with a cardiac condition that could not be treated at her young age. When she was 13 years old, Thidar left home to become a housemaid for four years. Thidar is fatigued and often dizzy, which makes it difficult for her to work. She is scheduled for heart surgery to repair the condition. The procedure is scheduled for July 24 and will cost $1,500. Thidar hopes to return to work with renewed health following the surgery. "My condition has caused a lot of distress. My parents have had to borrow large sums of money in order to cover the costs of my condition. I want to get better for them, and I want a healthy life, and I want to walk like a strong woman," says Thidar.

Lute is a farmer from Malawi. She 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 Lute’s teeth has been causing her 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 her symptoms. Lute is scheduled to undergo treatment on July 21. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting just $28 to fund the procedure.

Seng Vorn is a 35-year-old bus driver. He has four sisters and one brother. He likes to sing, go out with his friends, and watch movies in his free time. Seng Vorn was in a motor vehicle accident on February 19, 2017, causing fractures of his right femur and patella. He went to a hospital in Phnom Penh, and surgeons performed an external fixation to heal his fractures. However, his symptoms did not improve. Seng Vorn is in pain, and he has not been able to work since the accident. Seng Vorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), from a physical therapist. He traveled for three hours with his sister to reach CSC for treatment. On June 5, surgeons at CSC will redo his external fixation to heal Seng Vorn's fractures and help him to walk easily again. Now, Seng Vorn is requesting financial assistance to help pay for his surgical costs.

Jamelah is a four-year-old girl from the Philippines. She lives with her parents and grandparents. Jamelah's mother is a housewife, and her father is a laborer at a fish pond. She loves to play with her neighbors. Jamelah has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens her growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, she will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 22. Jamelah will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s home-based feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Jamelah's mother looks forward to her daughter's recovery, when Jamelah will be able to finish her studies.

Hser Paw is a bright 21-year-old student from Burma. At a young age, she moved away from her village to pursue her dreams as a medic. Unfortunately, Hser Paw recently halted her studies due to challenges with her health. In late November of 2016, Hser Paw felt tingling and numbness in her left leg. A week later, the symptoms spread to the entire left side of her body. These symptoms made her normal day-to-day activities a challenge. Hser Paw was referred to our medical partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital, where she will undergo a full-body CT scan on December 9. The results of the scan will help her physicians diagnose the issue, which they believe is neurological. Our medical partner is requesting $414 to fund this diagnostic test. Hser Paw says, “I want to recover and continue my studies as a medic."

Kazooba is a 74-year-old husband and father of five girls and five boys from Uganda. Kazooba and his wife are both farmers. They cultivate goods for home consumption and sell the surplus to buy basic necessities, such as soap, paraffin, and sugar. In 2012, Kazooba developed a swelling on his neck. It started out painless, but kept increasing in size. The swelling has caused him discomfort, made him unable to carry anything on his head, and prevented him from sleeping on his back. Because he could not afford treatment, he never reported his condition to the hospital. “I am scared for my health because of this sickness,” says Kazooba. Kazooba eventually traveled to our medical partner's care center, Holy Family Virka Hospital. He was diagnosed with a lipoma, a growth of fat cells. He needs a mass excision to remove the lipoma, and surgery is scheduled for January 25. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $196 to fund the surgery. Kazooba hopes that after surgery, he will be able to turn his head, sleep on his back, and continue to work hard to support his family.

Antonio is a six-month-old boy from Guatemala. However, he is only the size of a healthy three month old. His mother has had difficulty producing breastmilk, so when he is hungry, she feeds him water or porridge. Recently, Antonio has been losing weight. Antonio has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, he began malnutrition treatment on December 22, 2016. Antonio lives with his parents and three older siblings in rural Guatemala. His mother takes care of the family and household, and his father works as a construction assistant. They cannot afford this $512 treatment, so they need our help. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Antonio recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Antonio a chance to grow healthy and strong. "My dream for my son is that he grows," says Antonio's mother, "and that he will study."

Sofhie is a little girl, only twenty months old. She lives with her parents and four siblings in a small house made of bamboo and nipa leaves, similar to palm leaves. They live near the coastal area of the Philippines where her father works as a fisherman. Sofhie loves to play with her siblings. One out of every five children under the age of 5-years in International Care Ministries (ICM) communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. Sofhie was enrolled into the Home-Based Feeding program on October 19. Now, Sofhie needs help to fund this $184 treatment. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get the additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child being malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening. "I hope my daughter recovers from malnutrition to become healthy and strong. I pray also that she can finish her schooling someday and have a stable job and can help our family," says Sofhie's parents.

John is a two-month-old boy from Kenya who was born with an abnormally large head, which continued to grow rapidly. Due to this growth, John was taken for a scan which revealed that he had congenital hydrocephalus, meaning his brain was retaining too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This condition requires surgery to place a shunt to drain the excess fluid. If John is not treated, he is likely to suffer brain stem compression resulting from the accumulation of CSF. The family resides in a single rental house in Central Kenya. John is the only child to his parents, having lost his elder sister. His mother is a stay-at-home mom and his father is a casual farmer. His father's daily average income is barely enough for the family's basic needs, and certainly not enough to cover the $685 required for the surgery and care John needs. “I still hope that John will be well again and grow to be like all other children. I am happy to have landed where he can get treated," shared John's father.

Chhe is a 59-year-old housewife from Cambodia who is married with two sons and two daughters. She enjoys watching movies, staying at home, and cooking for her friends and family. Last year, Chhe fell down and fractured her left elbow. Although she received a surgery at another clinic a month ago, she cannot afford to return to complete her treatment. Her fracture is mobile but she needs to have a pin removed and screws added to her left elbow. She is also in mild pain. Chhe traveled five hours with her son to reach Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) for treatment. For $405, surgeons will remove the pin in her elbow and add screws during an open reduction internal fixation procedure. This will keep her bones in place while the fracture heals properly. After recovery, Chhe will be free of pain and able to return home and use her arm again to take care of her family and friends.

Meet Esther, a 15-year-old student from Kenya with dreams of becoming a banker. She is the second born child in a family of three children raised by a single mother. Esther comes from a poor family, but luckily her education is sponsored by a local bank in the country. Esther's mother works as a waitress to support her family's needs, but the burden of providing for the family is heavy because Esther's father does not offer child support. Esther started developing blisters on her leg in December of 2012 and was taken to different hospitals for medical treatment. Due to the infection on her left leg, Esther is not only in pain, but her leg is also swollen and she has difficulty walking. As a result of her physical impairment, she now attends a special school as well. She has previously received skin grafting and debridement (removal of damaged tissue) surgeries, but these cost her mother over $3,125. However, treatment is vital for Esther. If not treated, she may end up developing severe infection, which may result in amputation. Thus, Esther was referred to our facility for further treatment. For $940, Esther will undergo another debridement, but if this seems as though it would affect her heel bone, which surgeons find unlikely, they would instead employ a VAC, or vacuum-assisted closure, which drains blood or other fluids from a wound. About a week following this, they would then do a skin graft. Once she is healed, Esther will be able move about more easily and return to a more normal lifestyle. “I would like to be well and attend a normal school to realize my dream of becoming a banker," shares Esther.