Prize is a 17-year-old young woman who lives in a rural village in Uganda. She and her aunt are farmers who grow maize, groundnuts, and potatoes. She enjoys praising God, listening to radio programs, and watching netball at the primary school in her village. Prize is pregnant. Recently, she visited our medical partner's care center, Bwindi Community Hospital. Unfortunately, an ultrasound revealed that her umbilical cord was wrapped around her baby’s neck. Her doctors consider her pregnancy to be high-risk, and they recommend that she receive medical attention before, during, and after labor to ensure a safe delivery. On December 3, Prize will begin to receive supplements and attend antenatal checkups and health education classes. She will deliver her baby in the hospital, and her baby will be examined by a midwife. After birth, Prize and her baby will be monitored by the hospital staff. Prize's family is co-paying $8 of her treatment cost, but they need help to raise an additional $241. After she delivers safely, she hopes to nurse her baby and send him or her to school. “I thank the donors for supporting my hospital delivery," says Prize. "How I wish that many mothers who can’t afford hospital deliveries or even prenatal clinics could be supported. May God bless the donors."

Floriana is an 11-month-old girl from Guatemala. Her family cannot afford to give her a nutritious diet filled with protein, calories, and nutrients. She has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. She has little energy to grow, and her immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. She is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Floriana began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Floriana is the youngest child in her family. She loves to play dolls with her older sister and to eat bananas and beans. She lives with her family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. Her father works as a day laborer, and her mother works at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Floriana. They cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Floriana recover. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age, and her immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Floriana a chance to grow healthy and strong.

Angelo is a three-year-old boy from the southern tip of the Philippines. He loves to play basketball. Angelo's father, Renyboy, is a tenant farmer. Angelo has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. He began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 20. He is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Angelo's parents hope that he will recover from malnutrition, grow strong and healthy, and finish his studies in the future.

Yuvraj is a nine-year-old boy who lives with his parents and siblings in Nepal. He studies in grade four. His father works in India to support the family back home, while his mother is responsible for grazing the cattle and looking after the children. Three days ago, Yuvraj fell from the porch of his house and fractured his left hand. He is in a lot of pain and the hand is swollen. After trying some herbal medicines at home, his parents noticed how Yuvraj still had difficulty moving his hand. This caused them to seek medical help. $195 will cover the costs of the x-ray, cast, and physiotherapy Yuvraj needs for his hand to properly heal. Let's help raise the funds! Yuvraj's father says, "I wish my son's treatment happens soon."

"One night while in aviation school, Leandro was directing traffic and he stepped out of his guardhouse to check on a busy intersection," shares our medical partner in Guatemala, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "The moment he stepped into the street, he was hit by a speeding bus. After three days in a coma, Leandro awoke with a missing arm and a fractured femur. He was in the hospital for four months." “Since the accident, my life has been difficult,” says 20-year-old Leandro. “It’s not as easy as it was before. But I’m still studying.” Though Leandro will unfortunately not be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot, he is now currently working towards becoming a nurse’s assistant. "His family is poor and he has worked hard to be able to afford his studies, however the cost of a prosthetic arm, that would no doubt make his future career and daily life easier, is not financially in his reach," WK adds. For $1,255, Leandro will receive a prosthetic arm. "This prosthetic will change Leandro's life," WK shares. "He will be able to complete daily tasks easier, avoid social stigma, and when he completes his nursing degree he will be better able to care for his patients. He is excited for the opportunity to receive a prosthetic and has been very dedicated to all physical therapy regiments to prepare for the attachment."

This is Mary Gold, a 39-year-old woman who lives in the Philippines. Mary Gold has an angiomyolipoma, a common variety of benign tumor, in her right kidney. “Mary Gold is experiencing a tingling pain in her right flank area, which she rated an eight out of ten on the pain scale. Furthermore, she has a mass that has been growing for the past seven months,” explains our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). Although this type of tumor is benign, it can impair kidney functionality or even lead to the dilation and eventual rupture of blood vessels in the area. ICM reports, “Mary Gold’s daily activities are limited because of her condition. With an enlarged abdomen, it is uncomfortable for her to move around and perform necessary activities such as household chores, laundry, and fetching water.” For $1,395, we can fund surgery to remove Mary Gold’s right kidney. “With treatment, she will be freed from the pain her tumor brings and from the increasing possibility of bleeding," ICM says. ICM describes Mary Gold as “responsible and patient in taking care of her family.” They continue that she “really wants peace with everyone. Whenever her husband gets angry, she always walks out of the room so as to avoid arguments. Whenever she has nothing else to do, she usually entertains herself by watching TV shows.” “I really want to be well. Though there is a strong feeling of fear, I am trying to stay strong. I am excited to be well and take care of my family without out pain,” Mary Gold explains.

Meet 15-year-old Lah Naw from Burma. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us, “Lah Naw lives with her grandmother, father, brother, and sister. Her mother is deceased. Her father supports the entire family by running a snack shop out of their home and makes about 100 USD per month.” Though their father sometimes has to borrow money for school fees, Lah Naw’s father wants both his children to attend school. As BBP explains, “Lah Naw has completed grade 8, but she misses school frequently because of her condition and has not yet been able to start grade 9.” Lah Naw has a sinonasal papilloma, a benign tumor of the nasal cavity. BBP reports, “Lah Naw first noticed her problem two years ago when she started to get nosebleeds and could feel a mass on the inside of her nose. She went to a clinic in Burma and received medicine to ease the bleeding, but the mass has continued to grow since then.” Currently, Lah Naw has frequent and serious nosebleeds. BBP informs us, “She has to say home from school multiple times per month because of the nosebleeds. Lah Naw is scared that if her condition does not improve, she will not be able to return to school.” With $1,500 in funding, Lah Naw will receive surgery to remove the mass in her nasal cavity, putting an end to her nosebleeds. Funding covers the cost of pre-surgery and post-surgery outpatient visits, hospitalization for scans and surgery, transportation, and food allowance. “After surgery, Lah Naw will be able to go back to school and will be relieved of her symptoms,” confirms BBP. Lah Naw is eager to return to her daily life and looks forward to a bright future. She shares, “I want to go back to school, and after I complete grade 12, I want to continue my education further.”

Meet Esther, “a shy three-year-old girl” from Kenya. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), “Esther is the second born in a family of two children and lives with her aged grandparents since her father abandoned them.” Esther has an anorectal malformation—a birth defect in which the anus and rectum do not develop properly. In other words, Esther lacks an anal opening, and thus cannot pass stool normally. She uses an artificial abdominal opening to pass stool—one that “is prone to infection and other complications.” AMHF continues, “If surgery is not done, Esther will never be able to pass stool normally and might develop severe infection.” For $1,260, we can fund a two-stage anorectal malformation surgery—involving both an anorectoplasty and colostomy. After the final procedure, in which a new anal opening will be created, Esther will be able to “relieve herself normally,” shares AMHF. “She will no longer be prone to infections and will be able to interact freely with other children.” Esther's grandmother expresses, “It has been sad to see Esther not interacting with her peers as much as she would like to because of her condition.” Let's help fund this treatment so that Esther can regain her health and live a normal childhood!

Meet Sadayo, a toddler from Kenya. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Sadayo has hypospadias: a condition in which “his urethral opening is lower on the head of the shaft of his penis and he [therefore] cannot pass urine normally.” This not only causes pain when Sadayo tries to urinate, but “Sadayo is [also] likely to experience urinary tract infections. He might also suffer impotence if not treated,” shares AMHF. “Sadayo and his mother live in a small shelter lent to them by a well-wisher because they were living on the streets," AMHF continues. "Sadayo's father is mentally challenged and still lives in the streets.” “Sadayo's mother works as a casual laborer; washing people’s clothes and doing any farming tasks to help her support herself and her son” – inconsistent work that fails to provide enough income for Sadayo’s mother to afford the surgery her son needs. Sadayo and his mother were brought to AMHF by a concerned neighbor who saw the baby’s situation and knew that AMHF would be able to help. With $655 in funding, Sadayo will receive the surgery he needs to reconstruct the urinary channel in the proper position, thus correcting the hypospadias. The doctors share, “If treated, Sadayo will be less likely to suffer urinary tract infections and impotence. He will be able to pass urine normally.” In the words of Sadayo’s kindhearted neighbor, “I really feel for this baby, I wish I had better ways of helping him. I have been praying that God may open ways for him to get treatment, and I have no doubts that He has heard my prayers.”

"Two-day-old Tulu is the last-born in a family of two children," says our medical partner in Kenya, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "They live in a traditional hut and often move from one location to another in search of pasture for their livestock. His parents are pastoralists and earn their income from the proceeds of livestock selling. Following recent tribal clashes in their community, they have lost a significant number of livestock to cattle raiders." Tulu was born with spina bifida -- a leaking, open mass on his back. "Tulu is at a risk of infection, developing tethered cord, paralysis in the lower limbs and trauma in the initial days of his life if not treated," says AMHF. "Both of Tulu's parents have not gone to school and did not know how to handle the condition their son was born with. Through assistance from a neighbor, they were directed to seek specialized treatment. Tulu's parents are however not able to raise funds required for his treatment," AMHF continues. For $805, we can fund a spina bifida closure procedure. This will heal the mass and ensure Tulu can grow up without complications in his spine and legs. Tulu's father tells us through a translator: “we hope that our son gets well. We want all our children to go to school now that we did not have that opportunity."