Meet Christopher, a one-year-old boy from Guatemala who is malnourished. “Christopher is extremely short. It seems like the major source of the problem is that Christopher’s mother is young, and this is her first baby, so food in the home hasn’t been adequately prepared. There is also food insecurity,” reports our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq. Both of Christopher’s parents are young and Christopher is the couple’s only child. “They are doing their best, but they need a lot of educational counseling. The diet that Christopher is eating is inadequate, in part because of poverty and in part because of not knowing how to take care of a baby,” continues Wuqu’ Kawoq. For $535, we can provide nutritional therapy to Christopher as well as educational training to Christopher’s parents. Wuqu’ Kawoq explains, “Christopher’s diet will improve, and his growth curve and development will start to take off. Christopher’s mother and father will learn valuable skills that will help keep Christopher growing.”

“It is our prayer that our daughter’s health will be restored allowing her to have normal growth. She is our only child and we will be happy to have her alive and healthy,” says Jennifer’s father. Say hello to four-month-old Jennifer from Tanzania. "Jennifer cries a lot and has a fever. Her head circumference has been increasing fast and it's getting more difficult to feed her,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Jennifer is at high risk of losing her eyesight, convulsing, and eventually death if not treated,” they add. She has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition that does not allow fluid to drain from her brain properly. Her parents make very little money by making and selling clothing items and keeping some livestock. For only $690, Jennifer will receive the treatment necessary to drain the excess fluid from around her brain and decrease the chance of further health complications. Let’s help put Jennifer on the right path to growing up healthy!

“We are worried about the condition of our son. He is becoming less and less active," Elisha's parents tell us. Eight-year-old Elisha has what doctors call a "windswept deformity"— genu valgus on his right leg and genu varus on his left. This means that Elisha is bow-legged and has difficulty walking and pain in his knees. If not treated, his condition could lead to early osteoarthritis and a significantly reduced ability to walk at all. Elisha is a happy, friendly boy who enjoys being active. "He sometimes goes out with his father to herd cattle as that is what his father does for a living," says our medical partner in Tanzania, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Elisha's parents are loving and supportive, and work hard to provide for their family, but often struggle to make ends meet. "Their income is not enough to cover their daily expenses as well as the corrective surgery which their son needs," says AMHF. Fortunately, for $940, AMHF can perform surgery to straighten Elisha's limbs and allow him to walk properly.

“It has been a long journey for us,” shares David’s mother. “I am glad that my son will finally be operated on, and I look forward to his treatment and good recovery.” David is a four-year-old boy from Ghana who is typically a very happy child; however, since falling ill, his spirits have dropped and he no longer smiles or laughs. David has been experiencing severe headaches and lack of stability when walking due to a brain tumor. When David got sick, his parents rushed him to a local hospital in Ghana, where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Unfortunately, the local hospital had no specialist surgeon to treat David, so he was referred to BethanyKids at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya, over 2,600 miles away. With the support of friends and family, David and his parents managed to get airline tickets to travel to Kijabe. Now, David’s father and mother need our support to help make this journey a success and ensure their son’s recovery. “David is likely to suffer increased intracranial pressure, which may lead to brain damage and ultimately death if not treated soon,” explain our partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation. For $1,260 we can fund the craniotomy surgery that will stabilize David’s intracranial pressure and prevent any possibility of blindness or death. Let’s help David grow into a healthy, happy young man!

Ndasikoi is a 12-year-old boy living in Tanzania with his parents. Due to an accident in his childhood, Ndasikoi has limited mobility in his left arm, which makes daily life activities difficult for him. “One day, Ndasikoi was seated close to an open fire, carefully watching how his father barbeques big parts of goat meat. He did not realize that a piece of his clothing, his 'rubega' was very close to the fire. Suddenly, his rubega caught fire and he quickly tried to take it off of his body. As he was struggling to remove his rubega, a burst of fire came up and he sustained severe burn on his left arm and face. Ndasikoi is thankful to be alive and now he is living with severe burn contractures on his left arm,” our partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, tells us of Ndasikoi’s accident. Contractures are small nodules in the fibrous tissue beneath the skin, and can cause severe tightening, limiting mobility. Ndasikoi will require surgery to release the contractures on his left arm. Our partners expect that with the surgery, “Ndasikoi will be more independent on his daily activities including bathing and washing his clothes, and he will also have pain free movement during functional activities.” “I wish to be able to do more with my hands to help my parents, but the most I can do is herd cattle,” said Ndasikoi. Lets come together to raise the $550 to fund this treatment for Ndasikoi so that he is able to live a full life and do whatever he chooses!

“It is such a joy to have Douglas around because he makes all of us laugh with the stories he has to tell," Douglas' mother tells us. Five-year-old Douglas is an active, friendly, and energetic boy from Tanzania. He is the youngest of three children and his parents are both school teachers. He loves to be outdoors and play with friends, but due to a condition called bilateral genu varus, Douglas has difficulty keeping up with his peers. Bilateral genu varus causes both legs to bow outwards gradually over time. This not only affects Douglas' gait, but his stamina -- he is often tired and out of breath from walking even short distances. "It hurts to see him unable to walk due to severely bowed legs. We hope that his legs can be straightened so that he can walk to school and build a better future for himself and maybe even help other people as well,” says Douglas’ mother. The cost of treatment for Douglas is $940. Not only will his gait improve, but he will be able to walk without getting tired, and will be at a lessened risk for early osteoarthritis. Let's help Douglas get back on track and enjoy being an active young boy!

Aung Myo is a 37-year-old factory worker and family man from Thailand. Together, he and his wife support two children and their parents living in Burma. According to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects, “Aung Myo’s children are bright and study very hard, knowing their parents have sacrificed a lot for them to attend school.” Aung Myo has recently fallen ill due to an arterial septal defect in his heart, preventing proper blood flow to his body. “Aung Myo's current symptoms include jaundice, breathlessness, swollen legs, exhaustion, fatigue, weight loss, difficulty urinating and passing stool,” his doctors explain. Aung Myo says, “my condition has made me very stressed and worried.” Additionally, his wife has had to stop working in order to take care of him. For $1,500 we can fund a corrective surgery to repair Aung Myo’s heart. Aung Myo exclaims, “I want to be healthy so I can continue to support my children, send them to school, and look after my parents." Let’s get Aung Myo back to his happy, healthy self!

This is 12-year-old Chit Htun. He likes school, makes good grades, and hopes to become a computer programmer. He's in the 7th grade and lives in Thailand with his mother, two sisters, and family friends. Chit Htun was born with meningocele. Our medical partners describe the condition more clearly as “a protrusion of the meninges of the brain or spinal cord through a defect in the spinal cord.” Because of this, Chit Htun has limited mobility and urinary incontinence. To improve Chit Htun's quality of life so that he can be more independent with daily tasks, Watsi's medical partners have recommended placement of a suprapubic catheter which would help Chit Htun to manually drain urine from his bladder. This way no one, including Chit Htun's caring mom, will need to assist him when he has to go to the bathroom. Chit Htun's support network is large, but the cost of this surgery to propel his independence is financially out-of-reach. With $1500, we can pay for it anyway. Let's help Chit Htun the boost he needs to meet his goals!

“My prayer and hope is for Angel to get treatment as soon as possible," her grandmother says. "I feel so sad seeing her suffer like she does. I’ll appreciate any support for her surgery.” Angel has spina bifida, a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Angel is a newborn baby girl from Kenya. She is six-weeks-old and an only child. Her parents are small-scale farmers who have no land of their own but depend on their parents piece of land. They earn very little from their farm, and have been unable to raise funds for Angel’s surgical care. For $980, we can fund a spina bifida closure for Angel. "If the surgery is not done," our hospital partner writes, "Angel is likely get infection because of the open mass on her back. She needs surgery to grow up normally." Let's help make it happen for her!

Earlier this year, Kane, a newly married 20-year-old, started feeling a swelling in her left breast. She was later diagnosed with a massive breast tumor leaving her with pain, discomfort, and with a cancerous prognostic. Kane and her husband are from Kenya, they have no children and were hoping to start their family when early this year when she started experiencing the pain in her left breast. Kane has not completed high school and worked from time to time at a wild nuts company until late last year. Her husband is a casual worker at construction sites. He has tried all he could to get treatments for his dear wife, however, when they were told that surgery was necessary, he felt sad because he could not raise the funds to provide for the procedure. Kane's husband says in Swahili, "I wish I could do more for my wife. I feel helpless whenever I see her in pain. I will work hard so that I can take better care of her and our future children." For $580 we can provide the necessary surgery for Kane, and give Kane and her husband the opportunity to start a family. The surgery will remove the tumor and Kane will no longer be in pain and discomfort. Let's make sure Kane receives the medical care she needs!

Lu is a 36-year-old woman who lives in Burma with her husband and seven children. Her relatives all live in the same village, and she enjoys having big family dinners together. However, for the past three months, Lu has been in intense pain, now diagnosed as a Ventricular Septal Defect. Lu has a “hole” in her heart, in the septum between the left and right ventricle. This condition causes Lu to have heart palpitations, fatigue, chest pain, and back pain. It has been impossible for her to sleep with this discomfort. Lu grows crops and keeps chickens, but the work is difficult with her condition. On top of all of this, misdiagnoses caused Lu to spend close to her family’s yearly earnings on unsuccessful treatments. For $1500, Lu can finally receive heart surgery necessary to repair her Ventricular Septal Defect. She will no longer have to worry about her pain and will have renewed energy. Lu misses her family while she is at the hospital, and looks forward to seeing them again!