Meet Ahaisibwe, an adorable six-year-old boy from Kenya. He is the fourth child in his family, and he is in nursery school. He wants to be a police officer in the future. In 2014, Ahaisibwe began to experience stomachaches whenever he ate food. A painful swelling developed in his groin, and he became unable to attend school or play with his friends. In 2015, Ahaisibwe was taken to hospital in Kampala, where he was diagnosed with a reducible right inguinal hernia and was advised to undergo surgery. Ahaisibwe's family could not afford surgery, so they returned home. His father works as a motorcycle transporter, and his mother is unemployed. Fortunately, they visited our medical partner's care center, where Ahaisibwe underwent a hernia repair surgery on November 16. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 to fund this procedure. Ahaisibwe's mother hopes that after recovery, he will return to school.

Meet Lydia, a 61-year-old woman who lives in a rural Ugandan village. Lydia is a farmer who grows maize, beans, millet, potatoes, rice, and cassava for sustenance. She also grows coffee to sell. In her free time, Lydia enjoys playing with her grandchildren. She also likes to visit friends and relatives and walk around her garden inspecting her crops. For extra income, Lydia weaves mats. Lydia has an abnormal condition in a sensitive area. This condition causes her pain, which makes it difficult for her to farm and earn income. Lydia traveled to a hospital run by Watsi's medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, to seek treatment. On October 28, she underwent a hysterectomy, during which doctors removed her uterus. After she heals, Lydia's pain will cease, and she will be able to continue cultivating crops to support herself. Now, she needs help to fund this $321 procedure. "Thank you donors for supporting my treatment," says Lydia. "I pray to God to reward you in everything you do."

Kosal is a 23-year-old worker with one brother and three sisters. He likes to stay at home and watch TV in his free time. He was referred to CSC from a hospital in a different province. He traveled for three hours with his mother to reach CSC for treatment. Kosal was in a motorbike accident earlier this year, which crushed the toes on his right foot. It is difficult for him to walk, and he is in pain. After his accident, he received treatment from a referral hospital for four days and then continued treatment in a hospital closer to his home for ten days. Due to his condition not improving, he was brought to another referral hospital for four days. His wound did not heal, so the surgeon referred Kosal to CSC for treatment. Surgeons will perform an excision and flap surgery to release the scar tissue and replace the area with healthy skin. This will allow Kosal to walk comfortably and relieve him of pain. Kosal says, "After the operation, I hope that I can walk normal and without pain."

Elisa is 26 years old, and is a farmer from a village in central Malawi. He lives with his wife and their only child, who he likes to spend time with when he isn't farming and collecting firewood. A year ago, Elisa developed an inguinal hernia. This causes him pain, discomfort, and difficultly performing his everyday tasks. Although this condition is easily treated surgically, he has been unable to access treatment until now. $327 will fund the hernia repair surgery he needs, as well as all post-operative care. Elisa knows of others who have received this surgery, so he does not feel anxious about it. "I hope the surgery will be successful," he shared.

One-month-old Dickson is the first child born to his parents. His mother works at a small drug store as a store keeper and his father is a small-scale farmer – he relies on growing maize and beans. Apart from being born with congenital bilateral clubfoot, Dickson is a cute baby, healthy and growing without problems. Bilateral clubfoot is a birth defect in which the foot is twisted out of shape or position. Doctors at Watsi's medical partner recommended surgery so Dickson will be able to walk normally in the future. The cost of treating clubfoot is just too high for Dickson's parents to afford. Treatment, which costs $1,160, will prevent him from using the lateral aspect of his feet for walking when he starts to walk. “We just pray that our son’s feet can be straightened to allow him to walk like other children and later on go to school,” shares Dickson’s mother.

Sothy is a 45-year-old woman who is married with two sons and one daughter. One year ago, Sothy developed a cataract in each eye. Cataracts occur due to age-related changes in the eyes. The lenses become cloudy, causing functional blindness among other symptoms. Sothy experiences blurred vision and photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light). She can't see clearly, do work well, or go outside on her own. To reach Wasti's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), Sothy traveled for 10 hours with her daughter. After a phaco procedure and an intraocular lens (IOL) implant in each eye, Sothy will be able to see clearly again. The phaco procedure will remove the cloudy lenses, and replace them with clear, IOL implants. The procedure and three days in the hospital will cost $225. In her free time, Sothy enjoys watching Thai dramas on TV and helping her children sell goods and coffee to make money. "I hope I can see clearly so I can continue to help my children sell goods," Sothy tells us of her hopes for after surgery.

Joshua lives in the Philippines with his family. The family lives in a crowded area wherein they have many neighbors. But despite their living condition, they have harmonious relationship with each other and the people in their community. Joshua currently lives with an anorectal malformation. He experiences discrimination among his friends, classmates, and peers because of his condition. His teacher often sends him home whenever he does not bring an extra plastic bag for his colostomy. Whenever he eats fruits like pineapple, he suffers from stomach pain. When he exerts effort like playing vigorously or lifting heavy objects, his colostomy site becomes tender and bleeds. He thus has problems concentrating in school, and his studies and social interactions are very much affected. Joshua's family is also very concerned with Joshua's problem. Joshua sometimes roams around the market with his bike and collects bottles and scrap iron to be sold in junk shops to help his parents in their finances. His father is working at a fruit company and is the only provider of the family. For $965, Joshua can receive the colostomy closure he needs to recover from his condition. "I just want to see my child live normally just like other children," his mother said. "We as a family desires so much that Joshua will be treated but we really can't afford his treatment. As the matter of fact, we are struggling to provide our daily needs. We are hoping and praying that somebody would help us to provide for his surgery."

Catherine is a 24-year-old woman from Kenya. "Her mother separated from her father and thus has been raising Catherine and her siblings alone," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "Catherine dropped out of school after completing eight classes due to lack of school fees. She works as a house help to earn a living." "Catherine has been having hearing problems since she was a little girl of age five. She was not able to access hearing aids due to lack of funds," continues AMHF. "Catherine has difficulty communicating. She is not able to perceive sound well and often requires one to shout or repeat conversations. This affects her daily interactions with people. When Catherine came to the hospital for treatment, hearing aids were recommended, but Catherine is not able to meet the full cost." With $712, Catherine can receive the hearing aids necessary to improve her hearing capability. "If not assisted with the hearing aids, Catherine will have poor sound perception and will continue having poor communication and social interactions," explains AMHF. Catherine shares, “My wish is to get the hearing aids and be able to establish my own tailoring shop." Let's help make it possible!

Sotherith is a 19-year old-girl who lives with her parents in Cambodia. She stopped going to school after first grade. She has three sisters, and is the youngest in her family. She enjoys watching TV and listening to music. Sotherith began experiencing hearing loss and discharge from her right ear two years ago due to a cholesteatoma in her right ear. This causes her recurrent ear discharge, hearing loss, and pain. "I am unhappy that I have right ear pain and it is difficult for me to communicate with other people. I cannot go to school," Sotherith shared with our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Sotherith traveled to CSC with her mother seeking treatment. $809 will fund the mastoidectomy she needs to eliminate pain and restore her hearing. After a mastoidectomy surgery, Sotherith's cholesteatoma will be removed. "I hope after the operation is done, my daughter can have good hearing and health," her mother shared.

“Lencer is a young child with a long medical history,” reports our medical partner in Kenya, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). When he was nine months old, he fell sick with meningitis; he has contracted pneumonia six times since his birth; and now, at three years old, Lencer has contracted tuberculosis. “Lencer has battled his previous medical complications with zeal,” AMHF tells us. However, fighting these near-constant illnesses “has drained his family’s income,” leaving them unprepared to cope financially with the most recent medical problem that has beset Lencer: severe hearing loss in both ears. Lencer’s hearing problems are sensorineural, meaning they originate in his inner ear, and could have been caused by a variety of factors, from disease to head trauma. According to AMHF, “if not assisted with the hearing aids, Lencer may not be able to communicate effectively”—a deficiency that could have profound implications for the child’s social life, language learning, academic abilities, and career. $920 will purchase two hearing aids—one for each of Lencer’s ears. With these devices in place, “Lencer will be able to use speech and hearing for communication,” AMHF tells us. “I feel emotionally weak that my child has to pass through all these medical complications,” shares Lencer’s father. “My only wish is to have God heal him and for him to grow as a healthy child.” Let’s help make that wish a reality for this family.

Chenda is a 22-year-old woman from Cambodia. Chenda was hit by a car on January 14th, 2016 and dislocated her left hip and fractured her neck. Now, she is unable to walk or attend school. Chenda is in grade 12 and has seven siblings. In her free time, she enjoys listening to Khmer songs and watching TV. Chenda’s neighbor had surgery at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), and told Chenda about their services. Hoping to get treatment, Chenda and her sister traveled four hours to for a consultation at CSC. For $405, Chenda will receive a surgery in which the bones in her hip and neck will be moved back to their proper place and secured with metal pins or rods. This will also cover a weeklong stay in the hospital to ensure a proper recovery. “After surgery, Chenda will be able to walk without pain again,” shares CSC.

For over 18 years, diabetes has been a struggle for Raul. When he suddenly lost consciousness in the street 7 months ago, the doctors diagnosed Raul with acute kidney failure. Due to lack of access to medication and treatment, Raul is now going into kidney failure and needs dialysis, a treatment that mimics the kidney’s ability to remove waste products from blood. Raul is a 50-year-old man from Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), explains, “Without treatment, Raul will die. Dangerous levels of chemicals and waste will buildup in his blood. In addition, he will be at risk for other symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes, including blindness, nerve damage, and cardiovascular complications.” Raul lives with his mother, sister, and extended family. He used to work as a construction worker, but had to stop after he began passing out at work. In recent months, Raul has had difficulty eating due to vomiting, passes out when he stands for a long time, and has pain in his legs due to swelling. Raul and his family cannot afford the cost of treatment, and with his sister now taking care of him, Raul’s family has lost two streams of income. $1,496 will cover the dialysis that Raul needs to survive. WK says, “With this treatment, Raul will be able to live a relatively normal life, even with his failing kidneys. His energy will increase and he will be able to get back to everyday activities and spend time with his family.” “I am most excited to be able to walk around again once I receive treatment,” Raul shares, “I want to be more independent.”