Noah is a casual laborer from Kenya and a father of five. His wife passed away in December of 2019 but he is still grieving for her. He usually sells flowers in the streets of Nairobi with his sons, but because of the COVID-19 lockdown they have been at home struggling to even put food on the table. Noah fell and fractured his right femur on the 5th of July. He is in a lot of pain and cannot walk on his own. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On July 7th, Noah will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk again and heal well. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. Noah shared, “I don’t know how I fell and I have no money or anyone to turn to for this treatment. My children depend on me. I plead for help so that I can be able to walk again and resume selling flowers to sustain my family.”

Rorhimas is a 46-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She is one of seven siblings. She lives with her husband and her mother, who needs a great deal of care. She farms with her husband when she can, and often her siblings come to help out. In her free time she watches TV or visits the mosque. In February 2020, Rorhimas fell from her roof, landing on her side. The fall resulted in a dislocated left elbow. She immediately went to a traditional Khmer healer, but the pain and swelling became worse over the course of a month. Now she cannot use her hand or bend her arm. She has a difficult time doing any housework or taking care of her mother. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On June 8th, Rorhimas will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. After the procedure, she will no longer experience pain and will regain use of her arm and hand. Rorhimas said, "I hope that this surgery heals me quickly and I can go back to working to help support my family and taking care of my mom."

Everheart is a primary school student from central Kenya. His hearing has always been low since he was young. His family thought it was his tonsils that had problems and, after he received a tonsillectomy when he was 4 years old, they thought he would recover. Unfortunately, he did not improve as expected. The family has been going from one hospital to another seeking assistance before a friend recommended they visit Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Kijabe Hospital. When he came to Kijabe, Everheart had an ABR test done, and hearing aids were recommended. He struggles to hear in class but hopes that hearing aids will improve his hearing and learning. Everheart is the youngest child in his family. He had two siblings, but unfortunately, he lost his eldest brother. He lives with his sister’s family since he lost his mother and his father has neglected them. His sister is a general worker in a tea plantation with limited income to meet the cost of treatment as well as their family's basic needs. Everheart’s sister says, “Please help my brother with the aids. I am confident that they will assist him greatly.”

Phyo is a two-year-old boy from Thailand. He lives with his parents and sisters and a brother in Fo Fai Village. His parents are originally from Bago Division in Burma and moved to Thailand in search of better job opportunities around 10 years ago. Both of his parents are agricultural day laborers. Phyo’s parents cannot afford to send him or his siblings to school and they are looked after by his six-year-old sister when his parents are working. Phyo was born a healthy baby boy at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). In June 2019, Phyo’s mother noticed that both of Phyo’s testicles were swollen. At first she thought that the swelling was caused by an insect bite and that the swelling would come down on its own. However, the swelling never reduced. Busy with work and since Phyo did no complain of any pain and looked otherwise healthy, his mother did not take him to a clinic or a hospital. In the beginning of November 2019, his mother realized that his testicles were increasing in size and he was uncomfortable. His mother decided to have this checked and brought him to MTC in early November. When they arrived at the clinic, the medic completed a physical examination and gave him antibiotics. The medic also told Phyo’s mother that they could not treat him further because the medic was not completely sure what his diagnosis was. They were told that Phyo would need to receive an x-ray at Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) so that they could diagnose him properly. Since his mother did not have enough money to pay for the x-ray and she had work she had to do at home, she brought Phyo back to their village. At home, Phyo took the antibiotics the medic had given him, which seemed to reduce the size of his testicles. However, on April 7th, 2020, Phyo’s mother noticed that his swelling was increasing in size again and that he could not pass urine nor stool; she became worried when she noted that he ate and drank a lot the whole day. The next day, his mother asked her pastor if they could take them back to MTC, as she did not have enough money to pay for transportation. Their pastor agreed to help them and drove them to the clinic. At MTC Phyo received a physical examination and the medic explained to Phyo’s mother that he might have a hernia. The medic diagnosed him with incarcerated inguinal hernia and told them that he would need to receive surgery at the nearby hospital. Phyo has an inguinal hernia and currently cannot pass urine nor stool. He cannot walk or stand for the past two days as his swelling is severe and uncomfortable. Fortunately, on April 8th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital, our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Phyo's hernia repair surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 8th and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. Phyo's mother said, “I feel very stressed and worried about my son. I can’t help him any further as I don’t have money. His father has also not come back since he went back to Burma [a month ago to take care of his sick parents]. I cannot work and I have no income as we have less work during this time of the year. Sometimes our neighbors have to give us a meal. Now I have a debt of 600 baht (approx. 20 USD) already from my neighbor, without interest.”

Korb is a 34-year-old mother of two from Cambodia. She has one son and one daughter, she enjoys cooking for her family, cleaning the house, and playing with her children. Three years ago, Korb had a serious ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Korb experiences ear discharge, pain, itchiness, and headaches. She cannot hear others clearly and has been unable to find any work. Korb traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 9th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $925 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. "I hope that after surgery, the infection will stop and my hearing will improve and my family will not have to worry anymore," she said.

Joseph is a young boy from Tanzania. He is the fifth born child in a family of 7 children and also comes from a polygamous family and has 10 siblings inclusive of his step-siblings. His parents are small scale farmers in Northern Tanzania. His father often traverses into Kenya to sell Masai herbal medicine to supplement income and meet the daily demands of his big family. When Joseph was two years old, he slipped by boiling tea in his mother's hut. He suffered burns on his right hand and right side of his head. He spent several months in the hospital recuperating from the burns. Unfortunately, he healed with contractures on his right hand that has limited his ability to use his right hand. Joseph had surgery in October to release his wrist and now he needs to have another surgery to have his fingers released. Joseph is struggling to write in his class one studies due to contractures on his right hand. He has to learn how to write with his left hand. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Joseph receive treatment. On January 7th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to he will be able to use his hand and even move his fingers independently. Now, he needs help to fund this $832 procedure. Joseph says, “I like how my hand looks now, and I am able to use my hand to carry things. I hope that if I get another surgery it will look more okay.”