Rosemary is a 38-year-old small scale tea farmer. She is married and has four children. Together, she and her husband tend to a half-acre piece of land. In June 2020, while pregnant, Rosemary began experiencing troubling symptoms. She was able to have her baby and has now been diagnosed with cervical cancer. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Rosemary receive treatment. On September 24th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at AMH's care center. Once recovered, Rosemary will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and her risk of cancer spreading with will be greatly reduced. Now, she needs help raising $1,260 to fund her procedure and care. Rosemary shared, "the cancer has put my life under threat. I almost lost my little baby because of the disease. I need this surgery to raise my kids and be well in health."

Emie is a three-year-old girl from Haiti. She lives with her parents in a small city on Haiti's northeastern border with the Dominican Republic. She enjoys listening to music and going to church with her family. Emie was born with a condition called patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), in which blood leaks between the major artery and vein connected to the heart. This has led to heart failure, leaving Emie feeling sick and short of breath. Fortunately, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is helping Emie to receive treatment. On September 9th, doctors will use a catheter to plug the hole between the artery and the vein so that blood can flow normally. Now, Emie's family needs help to raise $1,500 towards her procedure and care. Emie's mother shared, "we are excited that once our daughter's heart is healed, we can start sending her to preschool with the other children."

Maria is a sweet and loving 7-year-old girl. She lives with her parents and four siblings at their home in Tanzania. Maria's parents are laborers and small scale farmers and who enjoy growing mainly maize, vegetables, and sunflowers. Maria has clubfoot in both of her feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Maria and her parents learned about our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare and traveled to their care center seeking treatment. On August 10th surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery. AMH is requesting $935 to fund the surgery. After treatment, she will be able to walk without discomfort and with ease. Maria’s mother shares, "Our daughter is strong and a fighter. She is always ready to help with chores. We see the challenge she is goes through due to her legs but due to lack of money we have not been able to seek treatment again for her."

Venance is a five year old boy and the second born child in a family of four children. Venance is a friendly boy who is currently in kindergarten. Venance and his siblings are being raised by their mother, who does small scale farming where she gets most of the food her children need. She also seeks day laboring jobs like working on other peoples farms or laundry to help make ends meet. Venance was diagnosed with Bilateral Genu Valgus, a condition that causes bones to bend. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Venance now has pain after a long day of play and walks to and from school. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Venance. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 9th. Treatment will hopefully restore Venance's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Venance mother says, "Please help my son."

Ku is a seven-year-old boy who lives with his parents and two younger sisters in a refugee camp in Northern Thailand. Ku's mother weaves shirts that she sells, and Ku's father helps weave, too. Ku is a primary school student, while one of his sisters is in nursing school, and his youngest sister is too young to go to school. On June 6th, Ku and two of his friends were playing in a tamarind tree when they all fell out of the tree. Ku injured his left arm in the fall and his father carried him to the camp hospital for an exam. The medic there told Ku's father that his elbow might be broken. After they bandaged his arm, Ku visited another hospital for an x-ray and was diagnosed with a left elbow fracture. Ku is in pain and cannot bend his arm or lift anything. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ku will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for June 9th and will cost $1,500. After surgery, Ku will no longer be in pain and he will be able to go back to school. He will regain full mobility in his arm. Ku's father shared, "Ku is an active boy who loves school and reading a lot. He always says that he wants to become a health worker to look after his family and others when he grows up. I want him to recover and go back to school soon."

Isaac is a 23-year-old from Kenya who works as a manual laborer, loading and off-loading sand in the Maai Mahiu area. His father passed away while he was young, and he has been living with his mother and sister. A few weeks ago, during work, Issac slipped into a ditch and broke his right femur. His colleagues came to help him and brought him to Kijabe hospital. It is difficult for Isaac to walk, and he is in chronic pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 11th, Isaac will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will help him walk easily again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure so he can walk again. Isaac shared, “I am in pain and can’t walk without support. I am out of options since I cannot afford the cost of the treatment.”

Netsanet is a 5-month-old baby girl from Ethiopia. She has seven siblings and loves to play with all of them along with her mom and dad. Netsanet's dad is a traditional farmer. He has no land of his own, but farms another person's land and shares the fruit with the owner. He also does labor work in his free time to earn more for their family. Most of the kids in the house attend school, but the oldest ones have also started working to support their family. Netsanet was born with an anorectal malformation, a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. She needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction and reduce the risk of serious complications. Netsanet is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on April 13th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Netsanet's procedure and care. After her recovery, Netsanet will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Netsanet's dad shared, “After receiving this treatment, I hope my baby will be able to use the bathroom comfortably.”

Bamwoya is a charcoal maker from Uganda and a married father to eight children, three sons and five daughters. All his children are married and are now small-scale farmers. Bamwoya shared that he wasn't able to finish school after the third grade as his family did not have funds for school fees. He currently earns a living from making charcoal and his wife is a small scale farmer. Since three years ago, Bamwoya has had bilateral inguinal hernia. He experiences pain bending or standing for a long time, which makes his day to day tasks and working challenging for him. Fortunately, on January 5th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $230 to fund Bamwoya's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Bamwoya says: “I have faith and believe that once my surgery is done, I will be well and able to continue with making charcoal.”

Roth is a 30-year-old salon employee from Cambodia. She has been married for four years and has two daughters. Her eldest daughter is in the 5th grade and her younger daughter is not yet in school. Roth's husband is a farmer. In her free time, Roth enjoys watching TV, listening to music, taking care of her children, and cooking outside with family. In June 2019, Roth fell and fractured her right forearm. She underwent an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) surgery at a local hospital. Plate screws were put into her forearm bone to heal the fracture. The bone has healed and the hardware needs to be removed so that she does not develop an infection. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On October 15th, Roth will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $230. The procedure will ensure Roth has no complications in the future due to the hardware such as pain or infection. Roth said, "I hope my arm is fully healed and I no longer have to worry about any problems."

Ry is a 26-year-old construction worker from Cambodia. He has been married for three years and has a one-year-old son, and their family currently lives with his parents. His wife is a farmer. In Ry's free time, he likes watching TV, playing games on his phone, and caring for his son. Three months ago, Ry was in a construction accident that caused a severe laceration on his right neck and paralysis of his right shoulder and elbow. After the accident, his family took him to the hospital where he had nerve repair treatment and wound closure. Ry stayed there for one month, before returning home. Still not feeling well, he traveled to Watsi's Medical Partner Children's Surgical Center to receive treatment. Doctors diagnosed him with a brachial plexus injury on his right shoulder side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. Ry is unable to lift his arm and he cannot work. On January 12th, Ry will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. Surgeons plan to do a spinal accessory nerve to suprascapular nerve transfer, referred to as an Oberlin transfer. After recovery, he will be able to use his arm and shoulder normally again. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $696 to fund this procedure. Ry shared, "I hope that after surgery, my right shoulder and elbow will get back to their full function and I can work as I did before."

William is a mini-bus driver from Kenya. He is his family’s sole breadwinner since his wife is a stay-at-home mom. He started experiencing abdominal pains and continual weakness in his joints in April 2019. The stomach aches have since became so severe that he is not able to go to work or perform his day-to-day activities. His doctors have diagnosed him with a right inguinal hernia. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, can help. On July 20th he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. He needs your help to raise $425 to cover the cost of his surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. William shared, “I am unable to work due to the persistent pains and I have a young family that depends on me for everything. This surgery will enable my life to get back to normal."

Phan is a 59-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He has one son, two daughters, and one grandchild. He is living with one of his daughters, and enjoys watching the boxing channel and news on television. One year ago, the retina of Phan's left eye detached, causing him vision loss leading to partial blindness. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Phan learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On April 29th, eye surgeons will perform a retinal detachment repair procedure in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $648 procedure. "Because of my vision loss in the past year, I could not do anything to support my wife and children. I hope my surgery will be done so I can see everything clearly again. Then I will go to plant rice and find more money for my family," Phan said.