Provia is a two-year-old girl from rural Uganda. She is the second of three children in her family. Her older brother is five years old and attends a local school, while her younger brother is two months old. When she is well, Provia enjoys playing with other children in her community. She is very tidy for her age––she likes organizing things at home, cleaning, and sweeping. Recently, Provia spent three days with a high fever and difficulty breathing. Her symptoms were due to malaria, a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease. After failing to receive adequate treatment from a local health facility, Provia was referred to a hospital run by Watsi's medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation. On November 15, Provia will begin treatment at Bwindi Community Hospital. She will receive medication, oxygen, and a blood transfusion to eradicate her symptoms. This treatment, however, is too expensive for her parents to afford. Both of her parents are farmers, and they contributed $4. They need help to raise an additional $120. "I want to thank everyone that sends in support for my daughter to have this treatment," says Provia's father. "We have just come back from the planting and so we do not have enough money for her treatment. May God bless you."

Kosal is currently ten years old and in the fifth grade. At home, he has two older brothers. Like any boy his age, he enjoys watching TV, reading books, and playing games. When he was five years old, Kosal developed an infection in his left ear. He did not receive treatment, and eventually the infection to spread to his right ear. He has now been diagnosed with chronic otitis media, or inflammation in his middle ear, which has caused both of his eardrums to rupture. As a result, he commonly experiences fluid discharge from his ears, hearing loss, and tinnitus, or the perception of a ringing or buzzing sound in the easr. After finding out about the care that our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), could provide, Kosal and his mother traveled over three hours by taxi so that he could have surgery at CSC on August 30, 2016. There, ENT surgeons successfully performed a myringotomy procedure in Kosal's right ear to treat the infection and drain the fluid in the middle ear. On his left side, however, a cholesteatoma, or abnormal skin growth, has formed. Kosal is scheduled to undergo another procedure on January 5. Our medical partner, CSC, is requesting $842 to pay for the required mastoidectomy surgery to remove the chloesteatoma. Kosal hopes to continue school without any hearing problems. He says, "I hope that I can hear clearly because I want to become a teacher."

Frank is an eight-year-old boy from Kenya who is in third grade. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with an abnormal condition in a sensitive area. Without treatment, he is at risk of impaired fertility, testicular cancer, and hernia. Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery on December 21. Frank’s parents separated a year ago. Now, Frank lives with his mother, who helps his grandparents with subsistence farming. With no source of income, the family cannot afford healthcare. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $535 to fund this procedure. “It comes as a jarring shock to any parent when their child is diagnosed with such a condition and with the potential of having his fertility affected," says Frank's mother. "I hope we will get help towards Frank’s treatment."

Aisha is a nine-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is in second grade at the local primary school. She is the youngest child in her family, and her parents work as farmers. Aisha was having difficulty breathing while she slept. She also fell ill with several bouts of tonsillitis and throat infection. Her parents sought treatment at many different healthcare facilities without success. Finally, they visited our medical partner's care center, The Plaster House. Aisha was diagnosed with enlarged tonsils. On December 22, she underwent a tonsilectomy to remove her tonsils. This surgery should alleviate her symptoms. Now, her family needs help to pay for this $545 surgery. "I have been everywhere to try to help her, and you are the ones able to do it," says Aisha's mother. "I am very grateful."

Vailet is an 18-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is the second child in a family of six. When Vailet was young, her family noticed something wrong with her right foot. She had clubfoot, but her family never sought treatment. Vailet was never able to wear shoes. Recently, an outreach team told Vailet's family about available treatment. They visited our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. On December 31, Vailet underwent corrective clubfoot surgery. Vailet's parents are farmers, but they cannot afford healthcare. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,160 in funding. "When my foot straightens," says Vailet, "I hope that I will be able to wear shoes for the first time."

Phanith is 15 years old and in the ninth grade. She has two brothers and two sisters. She likes to read her school books, cook for her family, and go on Facebook. In November of 2016, Phanith's foot was caught in a motorbike. She sustained a fracture in her right tibia and an open wound on her right heel. She went to a nearby hospital, where surgeons performed an open reduction internal fixation procedure to heal her fracture. However, her open wound soon grew infected. It became difficult for her to walk, and she was in pain. In December of 2016, Phanith visited our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), where surgeons performed a debridement procedure on her right heel to remove the damaged and infected tissue. Surgeons performed a follow-up debridement procedure on the same heel later in the month. Recently, Phanith returned to CSC for further treatment. On December 28, surgeons at CSC performed a skin graft procedure on Phanith's right heel to transplant skin over her wound. After recovery, Phanith should be able to walk easily again. CSC is requesting $450 to fund this treatment.