Sergio is a sweet 6-month-old baby boy who was born with a cleft lip and palate. Sergio's family lives in a remote community two hours away from the nearest health center. Fortunately, a Partner for Surgery community health promoter brought tiny Sergio to the center for medical attention. He was 15 days old and weighed only 2.7 pounds. Sergio's family is extremely supportive. They hope he will grow up healthy and strong, but his cleft lip and palate make it impossible for him to nurse properly. Without surgery, Sergio won't be able to get proper nutrition to grow. As he approaches his first birthday, the surgery becomes ever more timely as he learns to speak. The surgery Sergio needs will cost $480. It will enable Sergio to get the proper nutrition he needs to grow into a healthy toddler.

Janet is heavily pregnant and due to give birth in April to her second child. Janet comes from a family of Kenyan farmers and they work tirelessly growing sugar cane which they sell to provide a small income on which the entire family lives. In the last few months Janet has been enrolled in a maternal health program where she learned to prepare a birth plan for her second child. While this education is helpful it is not enough to ensure that Janet and her baby remain safe and healthy for the remainder of the pregnancy and through delivery. With $215 Lwala Community Alliance can provide Janet with pre-natal care, a safe delivery at their hospital and a post-natal checkup for her and her baby. This care will give Janet’s baby the best possible start in life.

Gift is less than a year old. She was born to loving parents with a serious birth defect called nasal encephalocele. Nasal Encephalocele occurs when the neural tube (the embryo’s precursor to the central nervous system) fails to close completely during fetal development, resulting in a swollen area on the head or neck. In Gift’s case, her nasal encephalocele presents in the area between her forehead and nose. Gift’s condition is visibly affecting her life. It obstructs most of her face and her eyesight, and most critically, it’s starting to interfere with her breathing. If left untreated, it will continue to grow, causing more serious symptoms and threatening Gift’s life. Gift’s mother brought her to CURE’s hospital in Zambia in hopes they might be able to help. Gift’s condition is serious, but they believe that with surgery, they can remove the abnormal tissue and relieve Gift’s symptoms. In the email submitting her profile, Gift’s doctors tell us, “Her parents didn’t hesitate to take her to a hospital. We hope to help her the best we can.” The one thing her parents do need help with is funding. In Zambia, most people live on less than $2 a day. A surgery like the one Gift needs is financially unimaginable for her family. We need to raise the $1000 they need to get their daughter healthy and give her hope for a normal life.

Unita is a radiant woman who lives in a rural area of Kenya. She and her husband grow their own food on a small plot of land, and pick up odd jobs or day labor at neighboring farms to earn the rest of the money they need to survive. Unita is pregnant, and she wants a safe delivery for her baby. She first came across Lwala Community Alliance by participating in training programs that taught her how to treat water before drinking it, prepare locally grown foods, and save small amounts of money each week in case of medical or emergency need. Now, Unita is hoping to become a part of Lwala’s maternal health program. Like every mother, Unita wants to give birth in a clean, safe, place, and have access to pre and post-natal services to make sure she and her baby are healthy. For $205, Lwala Community Alliance can provide Unita with pre-natal care, community health worker visits, a safe delivery at their hospital, and a post-natal checkup for her and her baby.

Meet Jackson! He's a farmer from Kenya who has two children. He is also a widow. Earlier this year he fell and fractured his femur. He was taken to a hospital but could not afford the surgery he needed. Jackson has difficulty walking and is in a lot of pain. If his broken bone continues to go untreated, his condition could affect the surrounding tissues in his leg and the fracture could heal in a deformed position. He is also at risk for infection. For $1,000, Jackson will receive surgery to properly set the broken bone and get him back on his feet. Jackson's brother, who brought him back to the hospital, hopes he'll finally receive medical attention. Let's get him help so his bones will reunite and Jackson can walk and farm pain-free again!