Tugumisirize is a 16-year-old student and the youngest in a family of six children. She lives with her mother who is a subsistence farmer. Her mother grows beans, maize, tomatoes and cabbage, and also raises pigs to feed her family. Sadly, Tugumisirize lost her father when she was three months old. Tugumisirize has had a mass on her abdomen for two years. She often experiences a feeling of fullness in her stomach, backaches, loss of appetite and other uncomfortable symptoms. She is not able to do strenuous work or sleep on her stomach due to the pain. She visited our medical partner's care center where she was examined and diagnosed with a large mass that requires surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Tugumisirize to receive treatment. On July 7th, she will undergo a curative laparotomy at AMH's care center. Now, AMH is requesting $242 to fund her procedure. Tugumisirize's mother shared, “I will be extremely happy and will appreciate the support given because am really hoping to see my daughter in good health and hope she will be able to proceed with school.”

Clementina is a ten-year-old student and the youngest in a family of four children. She is a loving girl who enjoys playing with babies, especially her neighbours'. Her mother says she would wake up in the morning and ask right away for permission to go see her neighbour’s baby. She is also a hard-working girl. She helps her mother clean the house and cleaning dishes. She cleans her own clothes too sometimes. Clementina was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Clementina is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMH), is requesting $1,015 to cover the cost of Clementina's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on August 9th. This procedure will hopefully spare Clementina from the risks associated with her condition, instead allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Clementina’s mother says, "We never knew the condition needed treatment all these years. But we are thankful that she is able to stand and walk. She has been scheduled for surgery but the cost is too high for us to afford please help."

Julieta is a five-month-old baby girl from Colombia with an infectious smile and laugh. When she was born, she was diagnosed with amniotic band syndrome, which has limited functionality in her hands and feet. Fortunately, our medical partner, Clínica Noel, is helping Julieta to receive treatment. On June 28th, she'll undergo corrective surgery at Clínica Noel's care center. After surgery, the functionality of Julieta's hands and feet will improve, and the procedure will prevent vascular congestion in her fingers. Now, Clínica Noel is requesting $1,500 to fund her procedure. Julieta's mother shared, "as a mother, you wish your kids never suffer from any problems, but knowing they need treatment and you can't pay for it just kills you. When I visited Clínica Noel and they told me that Watsi could help us get the money to pay for her surgery, I felt my prayers were heard."

Gift is one-year-old baby girl and the last born child in a family of two children. When Gift was two months old her parents noticed she was struggling to pass stool and urine, and her stomach would be very hard. They thought it was because she was still a small baby and that she would be ok as time goes by, but as time went on her condition kept worsening. Her parents are small-scale farmers of maize and vegetables for a living, and they are struggling financially. They were able to take Gift to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center ALMC Hospital, where she was diagnosed with A.R.M. and doctors advised that she would need surgery to correct the problem. She was able to get funding support for the first stage of treatment so Gift had a colostomy placed. She now needs the follow-up stage of surgery of pull through and later a colostomy closure and are seeking $1,500 to support the treatment. Gift’s mother says, “Our baby has been suffering from this condition for a while now but due to financial challenges we can’t afford the cost, please help us.”

Adere is a nice thirteen year old boy who loves to go to school and study. He is in grade six and loves music. He spends his free time listening to country music and also loves to dance with his friends. His parents are farmers of teff and maize. But their harvest from their farm is very limited because of the hot and dry landscape. The population in the area is mostly supported by the government and NGOs for food and other basic needs. His parents have 12 children. Three of them are dependently living and the rest of the children are supported by their parents. Adere was born with congenital anomaly called Bladder Exstrophy. The child’s bladder is open to the air and not within the body. He leaks urine directly to his abdomen. As a result, he has bladder exposed to dirt which can cause infections and injury. Adere suffers from pain from irritation of the bladder, infection, and a bad smell from the continuous urinary leakage for the past years. In his classroom, he sits far from other students in the back alone. He mostly prefers to be alone, psychologically affected by the bad smell. His parents are always very worried and concerned because of his condition. They took him to a clinic in their area when he was a child, and the clinic told them this has to be treated in referral hospital. Their village is very rural that they couldn’t get to a hospital and the parents couldn’t bring him to the capital. Adere's brother said, “I believe he will have a normal life, free from any smell and psychological concerns.”