Victor is 16 years old, and lives with his parents and four siblings in a rural community in the mountains of Guatemala. His father suffers from End Stage Renal Disease and is too weak to work. This means that Victor's family is dependent on him to work, but with his vision nearly non-existent, he has had a hard time working as a shoe polisher. His mother works weaving traditional Mayan textiles, which she sells to other women in the community. Although his mother works hard, they barely have enough money to pay for food for the family, making a complex and expensive surgery impossible for them to afford. Victor has previously received funding for his care for a congenital deformity. He has since recovered, but complications from a rare genetic disorder means that he still has several problems that require treatment. Our medical team suspects that he has Marfan's Syndrome, which is known to affect the eyes and cause cataracts. He has had vision problems since he was very young, but his family has never had the resources to take him to a doctor--since few doctors in rural areas are equipped to evaluate and treat eye disorders. Now, at 16, he is nearly blind and has had to stop going to school. This treatment will change not only Victor's life, but allow him to work and provide for his siblings and ailing father. He will receive a complex surgery to fix his cataracts, along with transportation to and from he hospital, lodging for him and his family near the hospital while he recovers, and all follow-up treatment. Victor shared: "I know the promise that I have made for my family, and that is why I want to see well so I can work and continue in school. It's very important."

Miriam is a 66-year-old woman from a remote region of Kenya. She lives with her husband in a grass-thatched house, and they sell charcoal to support themselves. Four of her five children have families and live in the same village, and her youngest child is in high school. In 2011, Miriam injured her eye injury and received eye drops from a local dispensary. However, she noticed a gradual change in her vision as she developed a cataract in one of her eyes. A cataract occurs when there is a buildup of proteins in the lens of the eye. This causes the lens to become cloudy, disrupting the passage of light through the lens and impairing vision. Most cataracts are due to age-related changes in the eye and account for 50 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide. Early symptoms include blurred vision and tearing. Miriam says she is not able to walk comfortably as she has problems with her vision. She has not been able to access medical care. In June 2016, at an eye camp organized by Kijabe hospital, doctors recommended cataract surgery for Miriam, but she is not able to raise the amount needed. For $230, Miriam will undergo small incision cataract surgery to remove the cloudy lens from her eye and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. Funding for her treatment also includes an overnight hospital stay, eye drops, and medicine to reduce pain and prevent infection. “I want to be able to see clearly again and be able to provide for myself," shares Miriam.

Originally from Burma, Pa Lel is a 52-year-old housewife and mother of six children who lives in Thailand. She used to work as an agricultural day laborer with her husband and son, but she stopped working two years ago after she was diagnosed with hypertension. When she is not tending to her family or home, she takes care of the piglets that she raises. In early June 2016, Pa Lel went to a wedding ceremony. Returning home after the wedding, she fell on a large stone while trying to cross the road and broke her elbow. Her husband tried to stitch it up, and then they immediately went to the hospital where doctors stabilized her arm. They told her she would need surgery to fix her arm, possibly inserting a metal rod. Currently, Pa Lel is experiencing much pain in her arm. She is not able to move around, cook or clean, or take care of her house and family. She must keep her arm bandaged and splinted so that it stays straight and elevated. The family's income—the combined earnings from Pa Lel's husband, son, and two of her daughters—is just enough to cover their daily expenses but leaves them unable to save money or pay for healthcare. To pay for transportation and other costs associated with getting medical treatment, Pa Lel had to borrow money from her neighbor. For $1,500, Pa Lel will undergo surgery—open reduction and internal fixation—to reposition and set her broken arm and enable proper healing. Funding also covers the costs of seven days of hospital care, including food, blood tests, and medicine. In the future, Pa Lel would like to return to Burma with her family.

Meet Sopha, a 17-year-old boy who lives in Cambodia with his two brothers and one sister. Sopha enjoys listening to music and playing football with his friends at school. Sopha began having ear discharge and hearing loss from his right ear when he was just two-years-old. Chronic otitis media-- inflammation of the middle ear-- caused his tympanic membrane to perforate and the ear discharge became a daily occurrence. This is painful and causes him tinnitus-- a ringing in the ear. After learning about Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) from a friend who had an eye operation there, Sopha traveled two hours with his mom to reach CSC for proper treatment. $399 will fund his myringoplasty, where doctors will repair the perforated tympanic membrane in his right ear. Sopha's discharge will stop, and over time his hearing can improve.

Meet Eang, a 77-year-old grandfather from Cambodia with six sons, one daughter, and ten grandchildren. Eang enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. “One year ago Eang developed a cataract in each eye. This causes him blurred vision, tearing, irritation, and he is afraid of sunshine. He can't see everything clearly, recognize faces, do work by himself, or go outside on his own,” CSC continues. Cataracts occur when the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, which causes decreased vision and functional blindness. In Cambodia, 90% of blindness could be avoided through proper treatment. As with many countries in the developing world, surgical services are inadequate; Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness globally. Even where surgical services are available, barriers such as cost, shortage of human resources, poor infrastructure, and limited awareness about access to available services remain. With our help of $225, Eang will undergo a cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from both of his eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for his surgery also includes post-operative care and after the surgery he will be able to see clearly again. In Eang's own words, “I hope my eyes can see everything clearly now so I can easily go to the pagoda, go anywhere outside, and do any work.”

30-year-old Savann lives in Cambodia with her son and daughter. "Savann began having ear discharge when she was 10 years old from an ear infection," our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) reports. Her condition, cholesteatoma, has continued to cause her to experience daily ear discharge, pain, and hearing loss in her left ear over the past 20 years. As a factory worker, she often is unable to go to work due to her ear pain. She then spends her time working around the home and listening to the radio. She's hopeful that after being treated her hearing will improve so she can go back to work. After a fellow villager told her about CSC, she traveled with her father for two hours to reach the centre. In order to treat cholesteatoma, Savann will undergo a mastoidectomy surgery on her left ear. The surgery will remove the diseased mastoid air cells, which are behind the ear in a hollow section of the skull. The procedure will cost $809. After treatment, Savann's hearing is expected to improve, and her ear discharge and pain will stop. Her father shared in their pre-operative interview: "I hope that after the operation is done, my daughter will have better hearing and health."

“I am a sports enthusiast,” shares Lokendra. “I love playing football and volleyball the most. In my village, my friends and I have made a team, and we play every evening.” Lokendra is a 14-year-old boy living in Nepal with his mother, younger brother, and younger sister. Lokendra’s father resides and works in a restaurant in India. According to our medical partner, Possible, “Lokendra helps cook the evening meal, graze the cattle, and collects fodder for the livestock.” “Lokendra was climbing a tree on his way to school when he lost his balance,” Possible explains. “He then fractured a bone in his left forearm.” His injury is so painful, Possible continues, that Lokendra needs help doing daily tasks and "cannot go to school anymore because of the injury." It also prevents him from spending time with his friends playing sports. $579 covers the cost of an orthopedic repair for Lokendra’s fracture. "Lokendra's fractured bones will be aligned and secured with the help of pins," Possible details. "The area of injury will then be plastered to prevent the movement of bones." Treatment and proper recovery will allow Lokendra to move about and return to all of the activities that he could do before his injury.

Monica is a 17-year-old girl with dreams of starting her own business. “When I get better I would like to join a tailoring class and later on start my own tailoring business,” she told the staff at our partner hospital in Tanzania. Currently, Monica is struggling to complete her education in Tanzania due to genu valgus, a condition also known as “knock knees.” This means Monica’s knees bend inwards and touch when she is standing straight, and she “is unable to walk without knocking her knees,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “She often feels pain in her right knee and when the pain is severe, Monica has to use crutches to move from one point to another." Monica has been dealing with this condition since she was in primary school. AMHF says, “The condition affected her ability to walk the long distance to school, and when the pain in her knee was severe she had to miss school.” She also had to stop participating in sports that she used to enjoy, like netball and her school’s marathon team. Monica’s parents earn income for their family of five by farming and running a small kiosk selling drinks and snacks. However, “Their income is not sufficient to cover the cost of their daily expenses as well as the operation which Monica needs,” reports AMHF. “If not treated, Monica will continue to be in pain and her gait will never improve.” Fortunately, for $940 Monica can receive the surgery, cast, and physical therapy necessary to heal her legs. After her operation, “Monica will be able to walk without knocking her knees,” and will thus have an “Improved gait and ability to efficiently perform various activities,” AMHF adds.

49-year-old Elda lives in Haiti with her two children -- a 16-year-old son and a 22-year-old daughter. Our medical partner, Project Medishare (PM), explains that in 2005, Elda’s husband died in a car accident. Since then, Elda has been the sole provider for her children, supporting her family by selling motor bikes and auto parts. In 2008, Elda noticed a growing lump in her breast and sought medical advice. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery to remove the tumor. “Six years later Elda had another surgery to remove a growing mass in the same breast and receive chemotherapy,” PM continues. It’s been about one year since Elda’s surgery and PM tells us that Elda is doing well. However, in order to be completely cancer-free, Elda needs one final round of radiotherapy. $1,500 covers the cost of Elda’s radiation therapy as well as her travel arrangements to the Dominican Republic, where her treatment will take place. After years of battling cancer, this treatment will allow her to finally enjoy a healthy life. PM shares, “Elda is excited to finish with the treatment, build a small boutique, and live her life in peace by the sea.”

Meet Purity, a one-month-old baby girl from Kenya. Purity lives with her parents, who run a small shop in the local area to support the family. “When Purity was born, one the first things her parents were notified of was that their daughter’s head was larger than the average of a newborn,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “After further investigation, the doctor confirmed Purity has hydrocephalus.” Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an excess of cerebrospinal fluid builds up, creating heavily pressurized areas in the brain. As Purity grows and develops throughout her childhood, this condition could pose serious health complications, including vision loss and limited physical mobility. For $980, Purity will receive surgery in which a shunt will be placed in her head to reroute the cerebrospinal fluid to the abdomen, where it can be more easily absorbed. “Purity’s surgical care will reduce the increased intracranial pressure in the brain which could be fatal,” says AMHF. “She will have a chance of leading a quality life.” “Before Purity got sick, I did not know about hydrocephalus,” shares Purity’s father. “To be told of all the risks that our daughter is at because of this, shocks and saddens us. It was a great relief to hear from the doctor that hydrocephalus can be managed.”

Mary is a 28-year-old wife and mother who lives in Kenya. She came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), with leg pain and difficulty walking. “Three days ago, Mary was walking when she fell and hit her leg,” explains AMHF. “She was brought to the hospital and diagnosed with a fracture of the patella.” The patella, more commonly known as the kneecap, is a small, movable bone at the front of the knee. It acts as a shield for the knee joint and connects muscles from the thigh to the lower leg. Falling directly onto the knee, as Mary did, is a common cause of patellar fractures. “If not treated,” AMHF continues, “Mary will continue to have pain, and treatment delay may make it impossible for the bone to unite.” Treatment for Mary requires a surgical procedure known as open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) to reposition and set the broken patella so that it can heal properly. $1,125 in funding covers the cost of surgery, a two-week hospital stay, and 10 days of physiotherapy. “We expect that an ORIF for Mary will enable her to heal and walk normally,” reports AMHF. Mary’s husband works as a day laborer at construction sites to support the couple and their three children. “Now he has to stay at home because of our small baby, and soon we may not have anything to eat,” Mary shares anxiously. “I hope Watsi will help me so that I can be well soon to go and assist him.” Let’s make this surgery happen for Mary!

14-month-old Abel "lives with his mother and great grandmother. He feeds well, loves playing and recognizes his name well," shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "His mother dropped out of school two years ago when she got pregnant and is still under the care of her aged grandmother." Abel was born without an anal opening. "He is not able to pass stool normally," AMHF shares. "Abel is susceptible to infections and blockage." "Abel’s great grandmother does subsistence farming while his mother runs a vegetable business, and hopes to sell enough every day to provide for her son," AMHF continues. "Her business however is not very stable, and often incurs loses because her products are perishable. Abel’s father who is a student, is not able to support them and is not willing to be associated with them. Abel's mother hopes to go back to school once her son is treated." $1,260 will fund the 2-stage surgery Abel needs to allow him to pass stool normally again. Surgery will prevent infection and blockage, and allow him to have a fully functional anal opening. "I hope I can get help for Abel's treatment, and get back to school once he’s well," his mother shares.