Meet Lea, a one-year-old girl from Haiti! “Lea is the third kid of the family and her mother is a teacher, while the father is a Macon laborer working on different sites to take care of their children," shares our medical partner, Project Medishare (PM). “Lea is one of the newborns living with both cleft lip and cleft palate; the deformations cause the baby to be unable to take to the breast or live a healthy life,” explains PM. Without proper surgery, Lea will be unable to speak or eat easily during her childhood. For $960, Lea will receive surgery for her cleft lip and palate. After the surgery, she will be able to eat, drink, and speak much more easily. Let’s help Lea live a healthy and happy childhood!

“I love teaching, and I am looking forward to working with young minds and making a difference,” says 22-year-old Caroline from Kenya. Though she grew up without her parents, Caroline has just graduated from college with support from her grandmother and community. She is now certified to teach pre-school, and is actively looking for work. When Caroline was young, she burned her foot and was unable to get proper treatment. She now wears an orthopedic boot, but cannot walk well, tires easily and gets frequent blisters when walking long distances. “If contracture release surgery is not done, Caroline will not be able to walk well, and she is likely to develop an infection whenever blisters are not well treated,” explain our partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation. For $1,125, we can fund burn contracture release surgery and comprehensive follow-up care for Caroline’s foot, which will enable her to walk well and without risk of blisters and infections. Let’s help Caroline enjoy normal, pain-free mobility so that she can teach young minds no matter how far away they may be!

“My wish is for him to be able to walk properly, get educated and live a comfortable and better life,” says Kelvin’s father. Say hello to Kelvin, an energetic six-year-old boy from Tanzania who loves learning to read and write. He also enjoys running around and playing hide-and-seek with his friends, although his condition may hinder his ability to do so in the future. Kelvin has a bilateral clubfoot, a condition that causes his feet to turn inward and can lead to early osteoarthritis. His father also has the same condition and wants his son to enjoy a better quality of life as he grows. Kelvin’s parents are small-scale farmers and cannot afford to pay for treatment. For $1,160, Kelvin will receive the treatment necessary for him be able to walk properly and develop normally without the risk of early osteoarthritis.

Thun is a 66-year-old woman living in Cambodia with her two children and six grandchildren. Over the last four years, Thun has developed cataracts in both her eyes, making it very difficult to see. Our partners at Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) tell us, “Thun’s vision has been blurred, making it hard for her to care for herself and her family. Thun’s eyes hurt so much sometimes and she feels so hopeless that she cries. She fears that she might lose her vision completely.” Cataracts are the most common cause of age-related vision loss around the world. The surgery to remove cataracts is relatively simple and painless, but most important, it is very effective in restoring vision. “Thun misses going places on her own and looks forward to visiting the pagoda during ceremonies if the surgery is a success,” our partners at CSC tell us. It will only cost $150 to fund this surgery for Thun and help her to do the things she wants without the limitations of her cataracts – let's do it!

Meet Jennifer, a bubbly one-year-old girl from Tanzania. Jennifer is raised by a single mother who dreams of one day opening a hair salon to help support her daughter. For now, Jennifer's mother struggles to come up with enough money to sustain the two of them. "She loves her daughter and she is determined to do all that she can to take her to school when the time comes," says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Jennifer has bilateral clubfoot, which means that she only uses the sides of her feet when trying to walk. If she continues to walk this way, she is at risk of developing early osteoarthritis and having a permanently affected gait. Luckily, Jennifer can receive treatment that can correct this problem now, as she is learning to walk. The cost of the treatment is $1160. With treatment, Jennifer will be able to walk normally, and will not be at heightened risk for early bone loss. Jennifer’s mother explains, “I want the best for my daughter and for her to live a better life than me. I am sure she will be better off with straight feet as she will be able to walk properly and quickly and that will allow her to walk to school and pursue her dreams.”

Before she got sick, Ma Aye worked in a tea shop to support herself and her youngest daughter. Her dream is to save enough money to keep her youngest daughter in school. However, this will not be possible unless she can go back to work. Four years ago, Ma Aye was diagnosed with myoma, or uterine fibroids. Her condition went untreated due to lack of finances, but for the past few months her symptoms have significantly worsened. Back pain and abdominal pain have prevented her from working, deepening her financial burden. The ensuing pain and depression from her illness are taking an emotional toll as well. For $625 Ma Aye can have her tumor removed and she can start saving money again. "After treatment, she will be healthy and will be able to work without any pain," says our medical partner in Burma. "She looks forward to living a normal life again, and being the best mother she can be." Please join us in helping Ma Aye come to a full recovery.

This is Zakia, a two-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is the youngest of five siblings and lives with her mother who works hard as a small-scale farmer. Zakia was born with bilateral club foot, a congenital condition in which the feet are turned inwards about 90 degrees. The toes face each other instead of facing outwards. This has been hard for Zakia; it takes her a long time to stand up and she is not able to walk. Additionally, she is at risk to develop painful osteoarthritis in her feet. Despite these challenges, Zakia is resilient. "Zakia is a cheerful little baby girl," our medical partner writes. "Although she cannot walk, she still joins other children when they are playing by sitting close by and cheering." Zakia's mother wants the best for her daughter but is unable to pay for the corrective surgery Zakia needs. “My hope is to see my daughter able to walk like the rest of my children so that she can go to school and later get a job,” she says. Watsi donors, you can make this a reality. For $715, Zakia can receive a casting procedure and a surgery called a tenotomy to correct her clubbed feet. These two procedures will allow her walk and finally keep up with all of her friends!

Meet Lydia, a 37-year-old woman from a small village in Kenya. Lydia is a single mother of three children between the ages of six and 20. Her career options became limited after she had her first child at only 17-years-old, and she now works as a laborer to provide the basic needs for her family. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Lydia has cervical cancer and “experiences severe lower abdominal discomfort. If not treated, the cancer will advance and spread to other organs.” Since Lydia works so hard to support her children, her income is not enough for the treatment she needs. Lydia confides, “My only wish is to be well, so that I can continue providing for my children.” Let’s help Lydia’s wish come true! For $885, Lydia will receive a total abdominal hysterectomy. This treatment will prevent the cancer from spreading to other organs and allow Lydia to make a full recovery. Let’s support this hard-working, single mom!

"I want to become a journalist after I have finished school," Ceclia says. 16-year-old Cecilia is a high school student and the last born in a family of eight. As her parents are elderly, Cecilia's older siblings have taken up the responsibility of her care. Cecilia loves football and unfortunately broke her left hand while playing at an inter school competition. Our medical partner, the African Mission Healthcare Foundation, report a fracture of the left distal radius. She currently can't use her hand at all, and is experiencing pain. She needs an ORIF surgery, which stands for Open Reduction Internal Fixation. This involves the implementation of implants to guide the healing process of a bone, as well as the open reduction, or setting, of the bone itself. The doctors say, "If the surgery is not done, Cecilia will continue experiencing pain and the she might develop an infection or non-union." Cecilia's loving siblings, who pool their resources to pay for her education and upkeep, are not able to cover this operation, which costs $890. Let's help Cecilia's siblings care for her and get her the operation she needs so she can use her hand again, get back to school, and follow her dream to become a journalist!

Even though Malaika is still unable to speak, she is able to make friends easily and always with a smile on her face! Malaika loves to wear dresses and dance to music in her free time, too. Malaika has a condition called an AV canal defect, where blood moves freely between the four chambers in the heart rather than passing normally from one chamber to the next. Children who have Down syndrome like Malaika often have this condition. Due to her condition, Malaika is often tired and out of breath, and she has not grown as quickly as she should. If Malaika does not receive surgery soon, her condition may turn fatal. Malaika's mother says, "We have traveled to the Dominican Republic three times to try to find surgery for Malaika, and I was almost ready to give up. I am very happy that we have finally found help for her." For $1500, we can fund Malaika's surgery so she can lead a healthy life without further complications!

This is Emmanuel, a newborn baby from Kenya. Emmanuel is the youngest in a family of three children. His mother works in a salon in a city, and his father is a casual laborer. Emmanuel's hydrocephalus is causing pressure to build up in his brain, and his parents are unable to raise funds for surgery. If Emmanuel does not receive the shunt incision surgery to drain water from his brain, he will likely go blind, have delayed milestones, or possibly die from the increasing intra cranial pressure. Emmanuel's mother says, "All I look forward to is seeing my little boy get treatment. I can’t afford it, but I hope and pray that my son’s treatment will happen, and I hope and trust for support." If Emmanuel undergoes surgery, he will go on to live a healthy and normal life. For $980, we can make sure this happens!

Meet Henry, a six-year-old boy from Guatemala. Born with blocked tear ducts in both eyes, he experiences constant irritation in his eyes, and his tears do not drain normally. Due to the slow drainage and chronic buildup of tear secretions, Henry gets frequent eye infections, which can lead to pus buildup in his eyes that only perpetuates the cycle. Very few Guatemalan surgeons are qualified to perform the surgery he needs, which is also quite expensive. Henry's parents, who have been searching for a solution for many years, are hopeful that the issue will be fixed before Henry starts school. Without treatment, the pain and cycle of infections will continue and potentially create further complications for this potential-filled kid. We're raising $1,500 for a bilateral tear duct surgery. The surgery will result in the resolution of Henry's pain, normal tear drainage, improved appearance, and greater comfort. Let's help Henry get healthy enough for school!