Jose is a seven-month-old boy from Guatemala. He lives with his family in a rural area, where his parents are agricultural workers. He loves playing with his sister, Milgar, and shaking his rattle. His favorite foods are chicken and noodles. When Jose was a newborn, he was unable to breastfeed and received [Watsi funding](https://watsi.org/profile/33a4429bfcc5-jose) for baby formula. This supplemental intake prevented him from developing severe malnutrition, but he requires further treatment to continue healthy growth. Jose has been diagnosed with malnutrition, which results from consuming too little protein, calories, and vitamins. In the short term, malnutrition means Jose's growth is stunted and his immune system is weak, leaving him vulnerable to illness. If left untreated, he will also face malnutrition’s long-term consequences, such as increased risk of chronic disease, low brain function, and a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. With growth monitoring and micronutrient and food supplements, Jose will recover. He will gain weight and grow taller, catching up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. Jose is scheduled to begin treatment on January 19. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, is requesting $437 to cover the cost of food and supplements, as well as regular visits from community health workers. "Thank you for caring about Jose's life," his mother says. Treatment will give Jose an opportunity to play, grow, and participate in family life supported by a healthy brain and body.

David is a 39-year-old man from Kenya. He was in a road accident on December 7, and he sustained tibia and mandible fractures. His tibia fracture was treated in an emergency procedure, but he still needed surgery for his mandible. After the accident, David was unable to work for weeks. Without treatment, he risked complications to his injuries. Fortunately, on December 21, David underwent an open reduction internal fixation procedure. David works as a driver, while his wife sells cereals. They have four children, and they live in a rental house. The family needs help to pay for this $640 procedure. “I want to be well to continue providing for my family as before," says David.

Denisi is a happy four-year-old boy from Tanzania. He has been diagnosed with genu valgus, or knock knees. This means his knees bend inward to touch each other. Denisi's condition hinders his mobility and prevents him from attending school. Denisi and his father visited our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. On December 30, Denisi underwent corrective surgery. As he recovers, he will complete physiotherapy to help him walk. Since Denisi's mother passed away, Denisi's father has been raising Denisi and his three siblings on his own. He is a small business owner, but he cannot afford healthcare. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $940 to fund his care. "I hope my son's legs will straighten so he can join school," says Denisi's father.

Meet Gideon, an ambitious teenager about to begin his final year of high school. Gideon has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the mandible. He has a cancerous swelling in his jaw. Gideon first noticed the swelling in April. He cannot chew food, and he has not been able to attend school. Fortunately, on December 6, he underwent a flap surgery to remove and replace his mandible. Gideon lives in a house made of mud and grass. His parents are farmers, and he has five siblings. His older brother has paid Gideon's school fees with savings from his motorcycle-transport business. His family has raised $500 to pay for his surgery, but they need help to pay the remaining $1,500 medical bill. Treatment will reduce the chance of cancer metastasis. Gideon will be able to return to school, where he hopes to excel in his final year exams. “I want to be well," he says, "and continue with my education as a normal student with fewer health complications."

Anna is a single mother of two children. When she was a young girl, she wounded her right leg, and she has been treating it with medication her whole life. Four years ago, she underwent surgery to repair the wound, but the surgery was unsuccessful. She cannot walk or work, and she is at risk of needing to amputate her leg. Fortunately, on November 24, Anna underwent a skin graft and debridement procedure. After her wound heals, she will be able to walk. Anna lives with her son in her father's house. She runs a small grocery shop, and her son works as a casual laborer. They need help to fund this $1,129 procedure. “My only hope is to get well, serve my father, and help my son who has always been assisting me," says Anna.

Dhakir is a six-year-old boy from Tanzania, and is the last born in his family. Dhakir goes to kindergarten and he says he loves being with other kids. Dhakir has enlarged tonsils and adenoids. After noticing his difficulty breathing, Dhakir's parents travelled 300 km to bring him to the hospital. Upon review, doctors recommended he gets a tonsillectomy. If left untreated, Dhakir will continue to have difficulty when breathing, which negatively affects his health and education. For $545, Dhakir will undergo tosillectomy surgery. After the procedure is performed, Dhakir will regain his ability to eat and breathe normally. Dhakir's father says ''I want my son to be well after surgery so he continues with school.''

Meet Lydiah, a 48-year-old mother of four who lives in Kenya. Her eldest child completed secondary school and is a casual laborer in the village, while her other children are still in school. Together with her husband, Lydiah tends to their small farm in order to support their family. They also often supplement their income with tea picking wages earned from nearby farms. Earlier this year, Lydiah felt a lump on her left breast. After making visits to several hospitals with no clear diagnosis, she later had a biopsy done and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She needs surgery to have it removed. If not treated, the cancer could spread and further complicate Lydiah's treatment-- possibly even leading to premature death. Lydia needs a mastectomy operation to remove the tumor in her breast, as well as the majority of the surrounding breast tissue. This will ensure that the cancer does not spread. Unfortunately, Lydiah cannot afford the high cost of treatment, and needs our help to raise the $740 for her operation. With these funds, she will be able to receive surgery as well as post-operative care at the hospital to ensure her full recovery. Despite Lydiah's challenges, she is excited for her treatment and empowered to help other women like herself. “I want to be treated and be there for my children," Lydiah shares. "I would love to raise awareness on breast cancer to other women from my village."

Juan is the youngest of three children, at 16-months-old. He lives with his family in a one-room adobe house in Guatemala. He always smiles and laughs when he is playing with his toy cars with his siblings. His mother works at home, cooking and cleaning. His father works as a day laborer in the fields, and when there isn't work in the fields, he looks for firewood to sell. Juan is suffering from acute malnutrition, meaning that he has not been getting the protein, calories, or nutrients he needs to grow properly. Although his parents want the best for him, with only a couple dollars per day to buy food for the family, they cannot afford to buy him the foods he needs to overcome malnutrition. His poor diet has made his immune system weak, and left him with little energy to grow and play. Malnutrition has not only stunted his physical growth but also decreased his appetite and delayed his mental and physical development. While most children can crawl by ten months and walk on their own by eighteen, Juan is unable to do either, even with help. If left untreated, Juan could face permanent deficiencies (such as a low IQ) and increased risk for chronic disease as an adult. For $512, Juan's treatment will provide him a protein and nutrient-rich diet to help recuperate his height and weight, as well as deworming medication and micronutrients to strengthen his immune system. Getting Juan treatment now will give him the energy to grow and play, increase his capacity to learn, and eventually help him succeed in school. His mother will also receive intensive nutrition education that will empower her to continue to provide her son an improved diet after the treatment is over. "We dream that our son can grow and develop well, so that when he is big he can be the municipal secretary of the community," shares his mother.

Bumo is a 10-year-old boy from Ethiopia who enjoys playing with his friends. Bumo was born with a congenital anomaly called epispadias, or an abnormal placement of the urethral opening. The condition affects both Bumo and his parents psychologically and socially. His parents worry that he is different from other kids and are concerned that, without treatment, Bumo may not be able to have children. Treatment for Bumo is epispadias repair, a procedure that will ultimately enable normal urination and prevent urinary tract infections. Bumo’s parents are farmers whose income is insufficient to feed the family. Unfortunately, this year’s harvest is low due to last year's rainfall shortage, worsening their financial status. As a result, they cannot afford to pay for the surgery that Bumo needs. $1,105 pays for Bumo's surgery as well as his hospital stay, lab tests, medicine, and imaging. “I always worried about his condition but because of my financial problem," shares Bumo's father, "Because I can’t afford the bill for the treatment required, he could not get the treatment until now. I hope now this problem will be gone.”

Meet Josmi, a 13-month-old baby boy from Guatemala. Josmi lives with his two older siblings and his parents in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof in a rural mountainous community in Guatemala. They are indigenous Maya and speak a language called Quiche. They have a small plot of land where they cultivate corn which they use to make into tortillas, which is often the only food they can afford to give Josmi. Fruit and eggs are out of their reach, making it impossible for Josmi to get better without treatment. Josmi is acutely malnourished. He is far below the normal size for his age, threatening his mental and physical development. His mother has noticed that he is not growing as well as her other kids did and is growing worried. His immune system has also grown weak due to the lack of protein, calories, and nutrients in his diet, making him get sick often. In the past two weeks alone, he has had diarrhea and a fever, sicknesses that can be life-threatening for malnourished children like Josmi. If he does not receive treatment, he could face long-term consequences such as behavioral problems, low IQ, increased risk of chronic diseases, and low earning potential. Growth monitoring, micronutrients and food supplementation will help Josmi recover from malnutrition--saving his life now and putting him on track to live a better life in the future. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake, preventing him from having any more life-threatening situations with diarrhea and fevers. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses. His parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give Josmi the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Jose the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place. "I would like for him to grow and be able to study and have a profession that he really enjoys," Josmi's mother shared.

Ebenezer is a four-year-old boy from Tanzania, and the second youngest of four siblings. His parents work as subsistence farmers. Ebenezer has a limb deformity known as genu valgus, a condition where the knees angle in and hit one another when standing straight. Since he began walking his legs have been slowly bending, most likely due to the excess level of fluoride in the water where he lives. When he walks he experiences pain and is not able to walk as far as other kids his age. The pastor who works in a nearby parish referred his parents to bring Ebenezer to The Plaster House, a Watsi partner site, for treatment. Without treatment, Ebenezer will continue to have pain and his condition will worsen. With treatment it is expected that Ebenezer's knees will be fully corrected and will be able to walk like other children. "I would like for him to be able to walk better and to be able to play with his friends," shares Ebenezer's father.

Ruhama is a five-year-old boy living in Tanzania with his parents and four older siblings. He is in first grade and enjoys learning how to read and write. He also likes to ride his old bicycle and run around with the other children. His parents are small scale farmers and they have three dairy cows. They work very hard to care for their children who are all in school. For the last two years, Ruhama has been having trouble breathing, especially at night. While asleep, he has episodes of pausing without breathing, followed by gasping for air. Ruhama has also been having frequent fevers with associated vomiting. His fevers prevent Ruhama from properly attending school. After visiting the hospital many times, Ruhama has been told that he has infected and enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Tonsils and adenoids are masses of tissue that trap contaminants at the back of the throat as they pass through to the lungs. They also produce antibodies to fight infections. Sometimes they will become inflamed and infected, causing fevers, and swelling that compromises breathing. When this happens frequently, it is often better to have the tissues surgically removed. The little that Ruhama’s parents earn is not enough to cover the cost of surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, tells us that for $545, Ruhama can have his tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Successful surgery will allow Ruhama to breathe easily and eliminate the possibility of infection. “I will be happy to see him healthy,” Ruhama’s mother shares, “without the frequent fevers so he can continue going to school.”