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.

Sarorn is a 33-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She is the first born of four siblings, and enjoys watching television, listening to music, and reading books in her free time. Two months ago, Sarorn had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear to perforate. For this reason, Sarorn experiences tinnitus and hearing loss. She cannot communicate well among her family members and finds it difficult to go about her daily activities because of the pain. Sarorn traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 3rd, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. "I hope that after my surgery is complete, my ear drum will heal and I will be able to hear clearly again," she shared.

Srun is a 72-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has two daughters, two grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her free time. Five months ago, Srun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her irritation, pain, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Srun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 19, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $211 procedure. Srun said, "I hope that I will be able to go outside on my own again and help to take care of my grandchildren."

Gift is a young child from Kenya--a playful and lively boy. His mother told us that he likes reading and playing with other kids. Gift is the last born in his family that hails from Mathare neighborhood in Nairobi County. His mother does casual jobs of washing clothes and cleaning. His father passed on two years ago after an accident. The family lives in a one-roomed ironsheet house in Mathare. Gift has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Gift traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 14th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Gift's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes. “I am appealing to people of goodwill to help my son undergo surgery so that he can be able to walk like other children. God bless you," his mother told us.

Khna is a 31-year-old taxi driver from Cambodia. He got married only five months ago, and his wife is a farmer. In his free time he enjoys playing volleyball with his friends, going for walks with his wife, and making improvements to his home. In August 2020, Khna fell out of a tree from a height of five meters. He was able to get up and walk home, but later that night he started feeling pain in his back. Now he is experiencing numbness in his legs and an inability to control urine flow. He has come to our partner facility, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), where doctors will be able to perform a spinal implant procedure which will alleviate the pressure on the spinal nerves. This will allow him to regain feeling in his legs and walk easily again. Khna told us, "I hope that this surgery will go well, and that I can recover quickly. I will work hard to regain strength and walk like normal."

Thu is a 11-year-old student from Burma. He lives with his mother, sister, brother-in-law, twin brother and an older brother. He and his family moved to Thailand from Burma five months ago in search of better job opportunities. Thu’s mother and older brother are agricultural day laborers. Thu and his twin brother are fourth graders at a Burmese migrant school. In his free time, Thu likes to play football with his friends. On July 12th Thu, his twin, and his friends were climbing guava trees near their school to pick up guavas. He fell out of the tree and onto his left arm. An x-ray revealed that he had broken his left elbow. Currently, his left arm is swollen, painful, and cannot be bent. He feels uncomfortable when he lays down and he cannot sleep at night. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Thu will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 15th and will cost $1,500. Thu’s mother shared, “I’m very worried and sad that I don’t have enough money to pay for my son’s treatment.” Thu also said, “I’m sad that I broke my hand and that I won’t be able to climb trees again. I don’t want to carry my hand in a sling.”

Joseph is a father of 9 children, now all grown up and working in small-scale businesses. He lives on his subsistence farm in Nakuru. Joseph started to experience hearing problem 20 years back but he could still hear with difficulties. The condition become severe about four years ago where he was forced to go to a provincial hospital. He was checked and the plan was to wash his ears. Since then he has been going for ear washing regularly when his family heard of our facility through the social media. This is when we had a free clinic for patients with a hearing problem. Joseph was diagnosed with mild to moderate-severe hearing loss. The plan is for him to have hearing aids for both ears so that he can return to a higher quality of life and independence. Currently, Joseph is not working due to his health and is fully depended on his children. He lives with his wife who is also elderly and can’t work either. "I will really appreciate if I can be able to hear clearly and communicate with my family," Joseph said.

Jalen is a lively 6-month-old baby who was born with an anorectal malformation. Over the last six months, he has had three surgeries for his condition and now a PSARP surgery is needed as a final stage. The surgery will allow Jalen to be able to pass stool normally. Jalen’s past three surgeries were funded by the national health insurance system (NHIF), but he has now exhausted the maximum surgical package the insurance offers. His parents are not able to meet the cost of surgery. Jalen’s father is a peasant farmer while his mom a housewife. She recently completed college and is yet to secure a job. Jalen has a 7-year-old sibling and their family lives together in a rented house. Their reliance on seasonal farming limits their income level, leaving too little to meet the cost of surgery. Jalen’s mother says, “My hope is to see Jalen recovering and leading a normal life like any other child.”