Joan is a 15-year-old student from Kenya. She is the third born in a family of five children, and is very calm and tends to be quiet. Joan is a hard-working, optimistic girl who hopes to excel in school, and she is currently in Grade Seven. Her dream is to become a teacher in future. In the second week of December, Joan was involved in a road accident as a pillion passenger which almost cost her her life. Her vehicle came into a head-on collision with a car, and she lost consciousness for more than three hours. Ultimately, Joan suffered a severe femur fracture and skin lacerations. Because she could not lift her leg, she was put on traction to bring stability to her leg. She is in pain on her right leg and unable to walk. Now, she needs to undergo a fracture repair procedure to heal her injury and avoid risk of further complications. Unfortunately, this procedure is costly for Joan and her family. Her mother is a potato farmer, while her father is ill and currently unable to work in the farm. Joan's mother is the sole breadwinner of the family, and she has found it hard to educate her children due to the family's income. Joan and her family live in a mud-built house that is not in good condition and they are unable to repair it due to lack of money. The family has raised some money for the surgery thus far, but needs more financial support to raise the total cost. They appeal for financial help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On December 17th, Joan will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. After she is fully recovered, Joan will be able to walk with ease and will be able to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,016 to fund this procedure. Joan shared, "My prayer is to finish school, have a good job and support my mum and my siblings."

Lenox is a 1-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the second-born child in a family of two children. Lenox’s father works as a guard and earns limited income, so he is not able to cover the cost of Lenox's treatment. Lenox has clubfoot in both his feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes him difficulty with walking and wearing shoes. Fortunately, Lenox's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on November 13th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Lenox's clubfoot repair. After treatment, as he grows, he will be able to walk well and wear shoes when he grows up. He will be able to run and play just like all the other kids. Lenox’s mother shared, “We have tried to seek treatment for our son’s feet with no success, but we were referred to this hospital with the hope he could get proper treatment, but the cost has turned out to be expensive for us. Please help support us if possible.”

Moses is a 3-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. His mother does not know the exact date of birth because women in her village are not able to go for pregnancy clinics and delivery is mostly done at home by the help of midwives. Our local rep tried to inquire whether any of her children have ever had any immunization vaccines and she shared that none of them have, but they are all healthy and well. Moses is the last born child in a family of four children from his mother. Moses's father is a polygamous man with three wives and a total of eleven children. They live in a remote area where getting to a local hospital requires traveling for a long distance. If they leave home at dawn, they arrive around 2:00pm walking on foot. Moses's parents are livestock keepers and are able to sell a goat or a sheep once in a while to be able to buy other commodities. Moses has clubfoot of his right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Moses's family was able to make the journey to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 29th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Moses's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when he grows up. Moses’s mother says, “I would be very grateful if my son is able to have his foot corrected. We are not able to find the money needed to cover his treatment cost, please help us.”

Abraham is a motorbike taxi operator from Kenya. He is married and a father of three children, the oldest is six and the youngest is two weeks old. The young couple depend on casual jobs to cater to the needs of their young family. Abraham is known to his friends and villagers as the tall and slim guy. He is a hardworking young man. One week ago, Abraham was involved in a road traffic accident while he was riding on the motorbike and sustained a traumatic right tibia fibula fracture. He is in pain and he cannot walk. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On August 24th, Abraham will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This treatment will help Abraham's leg heal well and he will no longer be in pain. He will also be able to walk on his own and continue working to care for his young family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,016 to fund this procedure. Abraham says, “I wish I was home to help my wife, it’s barely two weeks since we had our baby. She needs a lot of support. I feel sorry for her. If I could be walking now I would be providing for my family. I have faith that I will walk again so that I can continue supporting my family.”

Ha is a nineteen-year-old worker in a rubber factory. His lives with his parents and four siblings. His parents are farmers. When he is not working, he meets with a big group of friends who play regular soccer matches, or helps his parents with their farm. In May 2020, Ha was accidentally injured by a machine while working at the factory. He suffered fractures in both his legs resulting in nerve damage. His family took him to a local hospital where they used hardware to repair his fractures, but caused nerve damage in the process. Now, he cannot feel his feet or move either of his legs and must use a wheelchair. Luckily, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre will be able to perform a repair procedure in order to restore normal nerve function and help him heal his legs. Now, they are asking for your help to fund the $541 procedure. His father shared, "I am worried that my son will not be able to walk again, so I pray that the doctors can find the best way to help him walk and be strong like before."

Muiruri is an elderly man from rural Kenya. He has 7 children and one who has passed away. He lives on his farm in Muranga with his family. His children do farming for subsistence, and none make earnings enough to help raise funds for their father's medical bill. Muiruri was able to raise funds for his previous surgery and also used his National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Unfortunately, he has exhausted his NHIF limit due to his previous treatment. In 2019 he was involved a motorcycle accident and had a femur fracture on his left leg. He underwent an ORIF surgery and he was healing well. Early this year, as he was walking home, he slid and fell. The same leg that had an earlier femur fracture was fractured again and now doctors need to carry out an ORIF surgery so he can walk again. Currently, he is not able to walk on his own and he is in a lot of pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On June 29th, Muiruri will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk easily again Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. "I will be happy to be able to walk without struggle and also assist my wife with farm work," Muiruri told us.

Sam Orn is a 33-year-old factory worker with one son and one daughter. In her free time, she likes to cook for her family and listen to music. In April 2015, Sam Orn was the victim of an acid attack. Ten percent of her body was burned, including the right side of her face, neck, chest, back, right arm, and right knee. Over time, her wounds became infected. Sam Orn first visited our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), after the attack. There, surgeons performed a skin graft procedure on her neck. Recently, Sam Orn returned to CSC for further treatment. A scar contracture had developed on her neck, pulling the right side of her face downward. She was uncomfortable and unable to work. On December 7, surgeons performed a contracture release procedure on Sam Orn's neck. After recovery, Sam Orn will feel comfortable again. Now, CSC is requesting $194 to fund her treatment.

Alan is a ten-month-old boy from Guatemala who love to play with balls. He has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Alan began malnutrition treatment on November 14, 2016. Alan lives with his mother in rural Guatemala. His mother works washing clothes, but her income is small. While she wants the best for her son, her resources are already stretched thin. She cannot afford to pay for his $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Alan recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Alan a chance to grow healthy and strong. Alan's mother says, "I dream that when my son is big, he will be a doctor."

"Theara is a 36-year-old garment factory worker married with one son and two daughters," shares our Cambodian medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). "She enjoys watching Khmer dramas and news on TV and listening to songs. She sometimes likes to go shopping." One year ago, Theara developed a pterygium in each eye. Also known as surfer's eye, a pterygium is a non-cancerous growth that can cause painful symptoms. In Theara's case, the pterygium causes blurred vision, burning, itching and redness. "Theara traveled 30 minutes with her husband to reach CSC for treatment," CSC shares. There, she can receive a simple surgery to remove the pterygiums in both her eyes. Surgery costs $148, something Theara cannot afford. With our help, she'll be able to see normally again and won't be in pain.

Lyamuleme is a 65-year-old husband and father who cultivates beans and groundnuts in Uganda. He sometimes works as a casual laborer to supplement his farm income. One year ago, Lyamuleme developed a swelling in his scrotum that continues to increase in size. He experiences occasional pain and a great deal of discomfort because of the swelling. As result, he is unable to walk long distances, and he has to wear larger trousers. Lyamuleme has a hydrocele, a sac of watery fluid around one or both testicles that causes swelling in the scrotum or groin. The fluid comes from the abdomen and travels along the same paths that the testes follow when they descend into the scrotum before or shortly after birth. Hydroceles can occur at any age, and their cause is generally unknown. At the start of 2016, Lyamuleme visited a health center and was advised to have surgery. He could not afford to pay for the procedure, as the swelling and his advancing age prevent him from working as much as he used to. On the advice of his younger brother (who underwent surgery funded by Watsi earlier this year), he came to Holy Family Virika Hospital to seek assistance for his condition. For $215, Lyamuleme will undergo a hydrocele repair to decrease the scrotal swelling. The surgeon will make a small incision in his scrotum to remove the sac of fluid and then use stitches to close the path between the scrotum and abdomen so that no more fluid can accumulate. Funding also covers the cost of a two-week hospital stay and medicine to prevent infection. "I feel uncomfortable because of my condition," shares Lyamuleme. "After surgery, I hope to [feel comfortable again] and to continue working to produce food."

Ratha is a 35-year-old farmer from Cambodia who is married with three sons and two daughters. She enjoys cooking, growing vegetables, and listening to the radio. She traveled three hours with her husband on motorbike to reach Children's Surgical centre (CSC) for treatment. Ratha began having ear discharge from her left ear when she was a child. An ear infection caused her left tympanic membrane to perforate and she has experienced hearing loss, recurrent discharge, and pain on her left ear. Ear, nose and throat doctors at CSC have discovered a cholesteatoma in her left ear. She is unhappy about her ear pain and her poor hearing makes it difficult to communicate with people. For $809, surgeons will perform a mastoidectomy surgery to remove the cholesteatoma, which will cause her ear discharge and pain to stop.

Ericka is a 10-month-old girl from Guatemala. She traveled over five hours with her family to make it to our clinic. She suffers from a rare genetic disorder called propionic acidemia. This means that she cannot metabolize proteins in a normal way, and for this reason she has to have a very low-protein diet. Ericka lives with her family in a rural community in the Pacific coastal region of Guatemala. Ericka loves to eat strawberries and play with her mother. Her mother is unable to work because of Ericka's special needs, making it difficult for her to be able to make money to support Ericka's medical care. Ericka needs to receive a full diagnostic workup to identify any brain abnormalities that may have been caused by not eating a diet that her body can tolerate. Currently, she still cannot sit up on her own, and likely will not be able to for a while--because of her condition. Also, she needs a special diet in order to avoid the risks of high ammonia in the blood, stroke, and sudden death. $1,385 will fund diagnostic testing for Ericka, and allow her medical team to determine the best course of treatment for her moving forward. Funding will also go toward her initial treatment. "Our dreams are to see her grow one day, and get better," Ericka's mother shared. "Maybe she could learn to walk. We appreciate the support we will receive for our baby."