Twel Tar is a two-year-old girl who lives with her parents in northern Thailand. Their family is originally from across the border in Burma, but moved to Thailand for a better job opportunities. Her parents are both factory workers. Twel Tar was recently diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which has caused fluid to build up in her brain. Without immediate surgery to alleviate the intracranial pressure that the excess fluid is causing, she is at risk of developing severe, potentially fatal medical complications. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund the insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for Twel Tar, which will drain the fluid that has accumulated in her brain. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 30th, and, once completed, will greatly improve Twel Tar's quality of life. “When my daughter recovers from surgery, I want to send her to school like other children. I want her to become an educated woman,” shared Twel Tar’s mother as she hoped for a better future for her daughter.

Meet Nahashion: a playful, four-year-old boy in kindergarten. Nahashion is the only child in his family. His mother gave birth to Nahashion when she was very young, so she had to drop out of school to take care of her baby. His father is a maize farmer, but he also does odd-jobs like working on other peoples’ farms to supplement his maize farm. Both parents did not finish primary education (eight years), which poses difficulty when trying to find better paying jobs. The young family lives in a rental house in a small town. After giving birth to Nahashion, his mother was told by a doctor that her child had hypospadias, a disease causing urinary dysfunction. She was very worried about it because it was the first time she heard about such a case. Without treatment, Nahashion will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility when he grows up. A few months afterwards, she started searching for treatment and could not find a specialist in the many hospitals she visited. Finally, Nahashion traveled with his parent's many miles from their hometown to arrive at Kapsowar Hospital, where he was seen by a visiting surgeon. They had heard about the specialist after hearing an advertisement on the radio of the urology clinic that is taking place at Kapsowar. Fortunately, now Nahashion is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on June 24th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $631 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Nahashion’s mother is optimistic and strong. She says, “I am really not sure what is going to happen, but I am confident that my child will be able to proceed well after the surgery.”

Sineth is a 30-year-old woman who sells boiled corn to earn a living and support her family. She is married and has one daughter and two sons. All of her children are in school. Sineth's husband is a garment worker, but is currently at home since his factory is closed due to COVID-19. Sineth shared that she enjoys listening to music on her phone in her free time. When she was 27, Sineth developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her irritation, tearing, and discomfort with her appearance. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Sineth learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled there with her sister seeking treatment. Sineth needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $216. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for April 6th. Sineth shared, "I hope I can get back to selling corn again without worrying about my eye hurting me."

Charity is a 28-year-old woman from Kenya. She is the eldest in her family and is now married and has a newborn baby who is two months old. Her husband works as a clerk at a local dairy factory, where he earns enough to feed their family. Charity was working at the same factory, but was laid off from her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is not currently working and spends her time at home taking care of her child. Since August 2020, when Charity was pregnant, she started experiencing pain in her upper abdomen that radiated to the back. Charity had visited several different health centers but showed no improvement, and later decided to come to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Nazareth Hospital. She underwent a scan, which showed that she has a large gallstone. The doctor recommended that she undergo a cholecystectomy. Without treatment, Charity's condition may become more complicated and cause her gall bladder inflammation, or a blocked bile duct or pancreatic duct. However, Charity is unable to meet the cost of her care and appeals for financial support. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. is helping Charity receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on March 9th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove the gallbladder due to the gallstone causing pain and possibly infection. This procedure will cost $788, and she and her family need help raising money. Charity shared, "The pain is too much at times and I feel some relief when I vomit. I am hoping to get support so that I can be well and be at peace to nurse my baby."

Vortey is a 9-year-old student in grade three. She has a 2-year-old brother, and both of her parents are farmers. Vortey likes to eat vegetables, Khmer soup, and drink coconut juice. When she grows up, she wants to be a nurse. Two weeks ago, Vortey had a severe ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear ear to perforate. For this reason, Vortey experiences bleeding, discharge, and pain in her right ear. Now, she cannot communicate clearly with friends and family. Vortey traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 10th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Vortey's parents shared, "We hope that our daughter will be better after surgery and the procedure will stop the infection. We worry about her every day and want her to recover soon."

Marvalie is a preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three siblings in a rural area of southwest Haiti; her parents are farmers. She has not yet started school due to her illness. Marvalie has a cardiac condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. This condition involves several related defects including a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart, and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. Marvalie will fly to Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On March 6th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which Surgeons will close the hole in her heart with a patch, and remove the muscular blockage from her valve. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman, is contributing $17,000 to pay for surgery. Marvalie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Marvalie's family overseas. Her mother said, "Our family has been praying for a cure since our daughter was a small baby, we are very happy to know our prayers are being answered!"

Ashley is a young girl from Kenya who has been having umbilical hernia since birth. She is a student in class one and aspires to be a teacher. Ashely is the third-born of four children all living together in a one-room house in the Nyanza region of Kenya. Ashley’s parents are casual farmers taking up any farming job that come their way. This helps sustain their needs and pay school fees for their three schooling children. They are not able to raise the funds needed for Ashley’s surgical care. She was delivered at her at home, as advised by their neighbors not to go to the hospital. Every baby had a protruding navel and Ashley’s case was no exception. When she turned three years old, in 2015, her father was not convinced that the swelling was normal considering he had two children before Ashley. Her parents brought her to the hospital to seek treatment. The doctor sent her home and was told to wait until she was 4 years old, to see if the condition would retract. In 2017, they came back to the hospital where an umbilicoplasty was recommended. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $423 to fund Ashley's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably. “I want to be a teacher when I grow up,” says Ashley.

“Her mother thinks that she is the cutest baby girl in the world, but she is extremely worried that she may lose her from this condition,” our partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation explain. This is Tikidem, a five-month-old baby girl from Ethiopia. Tikidem was born with Hirschprung’s disease, a condition that makes passing stool difficult due to intestinal abnormalities. She underwent colostomy surgery as a newborn, and has been using it to pass stool since then. This puts her at risk of infection, and will affect her social life as she grows up. Tikidem is in need of surgery that will repair her large intestine and allow her to digest and pass food properly, without risk of infection. Her parents are unable to afford the treatment she needs. For $1,500, Tikidem can receive surgery to allow her to grow and develop healthily. Let's help fund it!

Meet Lesian, a 10-year-old boy from Tanzania. Lesian enjoys going to school, but recently stopped attending due to severe pain in his knees. Lesian has what's called a "knocked knee" deformity, and can no longer walk the long distance to school. He now helps his mother with chores at home. “Lesian has severe knocked knees deformity. He cannot walk long distances and he experiences pain on his knees after walking for some time," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, says. "If not treated, Lesian will most likely develop early degenerative joint disease.” With many children and school fees to pay, Lesian's parents are unable to afford the cost of the operation that he needs. For $555, Lesian will receive medical treatment that will allow him to walk properly, without pain, and decrease his risk of developing early degenerative joint disease. “I just wish I could walk properly so that I can herd my father’s cattle and help mom fetch some water,” he says.

19-year-old Irine is going to give birth soon! Irine and her husband are farmers who grow maize, beans, and vegetables to sustain themselves and their child. To receive other necessities, they sell some of their farm products. Irine hopes to have a safe delivery in a health facility attended by a skilled person. According to the UN, this is the single most critical intervention to ensure maternal and child health. She feels “pain in her back, lower abdomen and her legs swell if she sits for a long time.” For $215, we can help Irine have a safe delivery for her next child!