Alvin is a baby from Tanzania. He is a charming and very playful little boy and the only child to his young parents. His father is in a different city seeking casual electrical jobs to be able to make a living while his mother stays at home caring for him. Since December 2019, Alvin has had inguinal hernia. This causes him pain making him to cry a lot and often not sleeping at all. Fortunately, on March 8th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at Watsi's medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $539 to fund Alvin's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Alvin’s mother says “We are unable to afford our son’s treatment cost kindly help us and save him from the discomfort and pain he goes through when the swelling appears.”

Samnang is a second grade student from Cambodia. He enjoys playing games with his two brothers and two sisters, and he hopes to become a teacher when he grows up. Three months ago, Samnang had an accident and hit his right knee on the floor He dislocated his knee cap, and is now unable to flex his leg and walk without difficulty. When Samnang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On November 20, surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure of his right leg to help Samnang walk easily again without any pain. Now, Samnang needs help to fund this $413 procedure. "I hope that my son will recover from his surgery and that I will no longer have to worry about him or his condition." - Samnang's Mother

Gideon is 6-year-old playful boy. Five days ago, Gideon came to the hospital with a complaint of pain in his right hand, which looked like an obvious fracture due to the deformed and swollen appearance of his arm. He was unable to lift his hand. Gideon sustained the fracture while he was playing with his friends in school. Accompanied by his mother, they walked over 16 miles to get to our hospital to see a doctor and get treated. After the doctor's assessment, Gideon was admitted for skin traction to limit movement and reduce his pain and swelling. Now he has been scheduled for Open Reduction and External Fixation (OREF) surgery on Friday, March 20th. Gideon is the second born in a family of three children. He was born and raised in a small village called Kipkaner where most of the inhabitants work on farms or perform other low-income jobs. His parents did not attend school, so they don’t speak Swahili nor English. The family lives in a small mud hut with grass as a roof. His family gets sustenance from their small farm and consists mostly of millet, sorghum and seasonal fruits like mangos. Gideon likes to spend his days looking after her grandmother's goats. He feels that his grandmother will find it hard to take care of her goats when he is sick. Gideon is in severe pain. He has a hard time sleeping. The family is requesting for financial support for their child to undergo surgery. Gideon’s father says, “I want my son to get back to his normal life. It is paining to see him lay in bed without help.”

Paulo is a baby from Tanzania and the youngest in a family of three children. Both his parents depend only on livestock keeping for their living. Their income is very small to be able to support them well, thus they struggle a lot. Paulo has clubfoot of his left foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Paulo traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 31st. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Paulo's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk well when he grows up and wears shoes. Paulo’s mother says, “Our income is too small to be able to afford our baby’s treatment cost, please helps us.”

Elifranc is a pastor and community leader from Haiti. He runs a vocational school in St. Michele de Attalaye, and loves his job because “it allows him to see folks in Haiti learn skills that will help them earn a living.” Elifranc recently broke his femur in a car accident. To ever walk again, he needs surgery to repair his femur. Our medical partner in Haiti says this is a "desperate situation" for Elifranc, as he relies on a steady income to support his wife and child. For $1,400, we can fund Elifranc’s surgery so he can continue contributing to his community and supporting his family.

Aung is a 31-year-old father of two from Burma. In June of this year, Aung began coughing, experiencing numbness, and having sharp pains in his back. He sought treatment at a nearby hospital, but none of the interventions seemed helpful. Aung's symptoms persisted and he was unable to go to work for two days. As a result of his absence he was fired. Aung was persistent in seeking treatment and decided to go to another hospital. At the new hospital, an ultrasound test revealed there was water in his lungs, indicating potential heart problems. Unable to afford the suggested treatment, Aung left the hospital and came to Watsi's partner clinic, where an echocardiogram test revealed that he had severe mitral damage. Aung would need heart surgery to replace the damaged valve. Unfortunately, Aung is unable to support the cost of the surgery and his family at the same time. In the future, Aung hopes to lead a healthy life so he can work to support his young family. For $2,000, we can fund Aung’s surgery and help him get back to work!