Uwimaana is a 26-year-old mother of three from Uganda. She is a housewife and her husband is a peasant farmer. He cultivates maize, though only on a small scale due to the limitations of their small plot of land. The money that he makes is spent on the education of their two school-aged children, as well as on the family's basic needs. Uwimaana developed a swelling in her upper abdominal region when she was pregnant four years ago. After her delivery the swelling kept increasing in size. In 2015 she visited a hospital where she was diagnosed with hernia, a condition in which part of the intestinal tissue bulges through a weakened area in the abdominal wall. At the time of Uwimaana's diagnosis, she was told that she required surgery as an only means of treatment. However, due to her inability to pay for the procedure, she did not have the surgery and never returned to the hospital. Uwimaana's hernia causes her abdominal pain that worsens after meals, and makes it difficult for her to lift heavy items. "If I didn't have children to feed I wouldn't be going to the garden to dig because it gives me more pain," she shared. If left untreated, Uwimaana may develop intestinal incarceration, obstruction, or strangulation. For $220, we can fund Uwimaana's hernia repair surgery. Her protruding intestinal tissue will be returned to the abdominal cavity and the weakness in her abdominal wall will be mended. After surgery, Uwimaana hopes to continue digging in the garden to look after her children and husband.

Rusen, a 19-month-old baby boy from Kenya, is the last-born in a family of five children. At the age of three months his head began increasing in size, and at six months his mother noticed that, unlike other children, Rusen could not do things such as sit down or hold his head up. Rusen was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a condition involving the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain cavities - which was delaying his development. Rusen's head has been progressively increasing in size and he seems very irritable. A shunt insertion is required to treat Rusen's condition, so his parents were advised to seek specialized treatment. Unfortunately, due to a lack of finances, his parents opted not to seek out further treatment. Rusen’s parents are subsistence farmers and supplement their farming income with any casual work that they can get. The family lives in a single-room house and Rusen’s siblings are all in school and doing well. However, the family does not have any extra funds to spend on the medical attention that Rusen needs. Fortunately, the Bethany Kids mobile clinic outreach team spotted the family and urged them to come for treatment, which they did. But Rusen’s parents were only able to raise money for the bus ticket to get them to Bethany Kids, and therefore cannot raise the money required for the actual surgical care. With $615, Rusen's shunt insertion will be possible. During the operation, the shunt will be inserted into Rusen's head in order to divert excess fluid into other areas of his body. In doing so, Rusen's head will return to a normal size and he will no longer be at risk for the serious health complications, such as brain damage, associated with hydrocephalus. “We had given up all hope until we met with a team from Bethany Kids. We are more than happy to know that there are hopes for Rusen’s treatment,” shares Rusen’s mother.

Phy is a 30-year-old farmer from Cambodia who is married with one son. In his free time, he enjoys staying at home and reading magazines. On June 16th, 2016, Phy fractured his right femur in a moto accident. He is in pain and is unable to walk long distances. He also is unable to do his work on the farm. Prior to coming to Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he has only received Khmer traditional medicine in his village. He traveled four hours with his mother to reach CSC for treatment. Surgeons at CSC will perform an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure to heal the fracture. Surgery is needed in order to realign the bones into a normal position. The treatment will cost $405, and will allow Phy to walk easily once he has fully recovered.

Meet Grish, a playful 12-month-old boy from Nepal. "Grish loves listening to lullabies and sleeping," our medical partner, Possible, shares with us. "Grish was playing by himself in the house when he fell off the porch and fractured his right femur," Possible reports. Since the accident, his leg has been swollen, looks tender, and is constantly painful. As Grish is growing baby boy, it is crucial that he receives treatment so that his bones develop normally. Treatment will consist of aligning his bones and outfitting him with a hip spica, a type of cast that covers his leg up to his waist, to ensure that his bones heal well. $224 covers the cost of this treatment, the cast, and a two-day hospital stay. As his father works in India to make a living, Grish's mother cares for him alone. She tends a farm to keep the family going while his father is gone. "It's very difficult for me to see my son in so much pain," his mother expresses. "I just wish for him to be treated soon." Let's support Grish and his family in getting him the care that he needs.

Erla is a 48-year-old woman from Haiti. In 2013, she felt a small pain in her right breast. Over time, the mass grew and Erla began to notice unusual secretions from her breast. “She decided to see a doctor in a neighborhood outside of Port-au-Prince,” says our medical partner, Project Medishare. “She could not unfortunately meet the doctor because there were too many people waiting. She stayed home all those two long years with pain until she heard a radio announcement about a hospital which has special services for people with breast masses.” “She decided to come and get diagnosed by having some lab tests done,” her doctor continues. “The result revealed that she had breast cancer. She spent six months following the process with a chemotherapy and now the time has come for her to be operated on to remove her cancer.” Erla needs a mastectomy to remove her breast, which will cost $849. She has very little money, especially since her husband passed away after the earthquake in Haiti. “She used to have a small business selling items of different sorts,” her doctor says. “Now, because of her sickness, she practically can’t do anything anymore. She is supported by her elder son who doesn’t have much money and can’t pay for the treatment.” “She wishes God to make the operation successful,” her doctor adds. “She hopes that you can help her take this important step in her treatment. Hopefully, she will be able to restart her small business.”