Nathan is a young boy from Kenya who has a right inguinal hernia that was diagnosed recently. This condition occurs when tissue, such as part of the intestine, protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles. When he was two years old, his mother noted a swell on his groin area while bathing him. He would cry in pain and often was uncomfortable. He was given antibiotics at a local health center. Unfortunately, the swelling did not recede. Nathan's uncle referred the parents to Kijabe in 2019 and upon review, surgery was recommended. With successful surgery, Nathan will be free from persistent pain and discomfort. Nathan is the last born in a family of four. His parents are not financially stable to afford the cost of surgery. His father was recently employed as a primary school teacher while his mother sells at a grocery shop. They appeal for financial assistance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $423 to fund Nathan's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. “We came with hopes to get help as we have heard much about BethanyKids hospital,” says Nathan’s mother.

Chong is a nine-year-old boy from Thailand. He lives with his mother, who works as an agricultural day laborer, planting and harvesting corn and beans for a plantation owner. They live in a hut on the plantation owner’s land. Chong’s mother supports the family as a single parent. She cannot afford to send any of her children to school. Chong helps his mother with household chores, cooking meals or collecting water from a nearby pond. Some days, he accompanies his mother to work, where he helps her carry bags. A year after Chong was born, his mother noticed an abnormal condition in a sensitive area of his body. Chong complained of pain, so his mother brought him to the hospital. There, the family learned about our medical partner. Chong was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia and hydrocele. He is scheduled to undergo a repair surgery on January 4, 2017. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Chong loves to play games of marbles with his friends. He also loves to cook. His mother says that his best dishes are fish paste salad, stir fried dishes, and soup. Even when he is not feeling well, Chong always wants to help his mother. In the future, Chong hopes to stay in Thailand to support his mother. “I would like to find a job here,” he says, “so that I can help my mother.”

Clinton is a ten-year-old boy from Uganda who attends the local school. Both of his parents are subsistence farmers, growing food only for their family's consumption. For income, they do farm labor throughout the community. Clinton loves to play soccer, run around the community with other children, and fetch firewood. Unfortunately, Clinton has severe malaria. He was taken to a local clinic, but he did not receive adequate treatment. Instead, his situation grew worse. Clinton's parents decided to bring him to our medical partner's care center, Bwindi Community Hospital. On November 29, he will begin malaria treatment. Doctors will monitor Clinton's progress to ensure that his health improves quickly. $120 in funds will cover his necessary medications, treatment, and hospital stay. Clinton's parents are co-paying $4. Clinton's father hopes to send his son to school. “I thank the donors for my son's treatment," he says. "It is hard to afford and receive health services in our community. I had to carry him on my back for about four hours to reach Bwindi Community Hospital. May God bless you abundantly.”

Chanya is a 20-year-old waitress. She has two sisters and one brother. She likes to sing and hang out with her friends. When she was a young girl, Chanya had an ear infection in her left ear. Due to the long-standing infection, she developed a cholesteatoma, a skin growth in the middle ear. Since then, she experienced ear discharge, hearing loss, pain, and buzzing in her ear. In 2014, Chanya went to a hospital in Phnom Penh, where surgeons performed a mastoidectomy to treat her condition. However, the mastoidectomy was poorly done, and she continued to experience her uncomfortable symptoms. When Chanya learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for half an hour to seek treatment. She was diagnosed with a residual cholesteatoma, which developed because her initial surgery failed to completely remove the original cholesteatoma. On December 16, ENT surgeons at CSC performed a mastoidectomy in Chanya's left ear. After recovery, her discharge and pain will stop, and her hearing will improve. CSC is requesting $842 to fund this procedure.

Honest is a 15-month-old girl from Uganda. She has been diagnosed with severe malnutrition. Her growth has slowed, and her low intake of protein has caused edema, or swelling in her body. Her grandmother brought her to our medical partner's care center, Bwindi Community Hospital. She began malnutrition treatment on December 6. Honest has been living with her grandmother, Jenesta, since her mother passed away. Jenesta looks after her two children and five grandchildren. They live in a village 26 kilometers from Bwindi Community Hospital. Jenesta is a subsistence farmer who grows cassava, Irish potatoes, and beans. She cannot afford her granddaughter's treatment, so our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is requesting $321 in funding. “I am very grateful to the people who are paying for my granddaughter’s treatment," says Jenesta. "I pray for God’s blessings upon them.”

Blanca is an 18-month-old girl from Guatemala. Her parents cannot afford to give her the calories, protein, and nutrients she needs to grow. For this reason, she is only the size of a health nine-month-old. She also falls ill often. Blanca has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. She has little energy to grow, and her immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. She is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, she began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Blanca loves to play with her doll and eat oranges and bananas. She lives with her family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. Her father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops on a local plantation. Her mother is a weaver of traditional Mayan textiles. They cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Blanca recover. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age, and her immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Blanca a chance to grow healthy and strong. "I am so grateful for this support for my daughter," says Blanca's mother.

Sokha is a 48-year-old rice farmer. She likes to watch Khmer dramas, the news, and other networks on TV. Seven months ago, Sokha developed blurred vision, cloudy lenses, and sensitivity to light in both eyes. It became difficult for her to see clearly, do her work, or travel independently. She and her sister traveled to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for further evaluation. Sokha's doctors diagnosed her with cataracts, and they recommended surgical intervention. On October 28, she underwent a phacoemulsification and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. This procedure should restore her vision to full clarity. The procedure, supplies, drugs, and four days of inpatient care costs $292. "I hope I will see more clearly," says Sokha, "so that I can continue my work and go places without needing to bother others to take care of me." Sokha's sister adds, "I hope my sister can see clearly, so that I won't have to worry about her potential vision loss anymore."

Alexia is a 4-year-old girl from the Philippines. She lives with her parents and three siblings in a house made of bamboo. The family's receives water from the water pump and shares electricity with their neighbor. Alexia loves to play "balay-balay". One out of every five children under the age of 5-years in the communities served by our medical partner International Care Ministries (ICM) is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get the additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child being malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening. "I want my child to reach her target weight and hope she will be a successful teacher someday," says Alexia's mother

Princess is a 2 year old girl from Palawan, Philippines. She lives in a simple bamboo house with a good source of water. She loves watching cartoons on their neighbor's TV with other children. She also loves playing with other children. Her father is an artist and his mother takes care of him. This means that they cannot afford enough food for Princess and she is malnourished. "I want our little Princess to become a businesswoman someday," says her family. Princess's treatment occurred on 10/19/2016. One out of five children under-5 in our medical partner ICM's communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. Our medical partner ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get the additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child being malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening.

Ervin is a two-year-old boy from the Philippines. He lives with his parents and brother in a house made from bamboo and wood. Ervin loves to play basketball with his brother. Ervin has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. He began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 19 Ervin is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. "I hope that Ervin recovers from malnutrition and grows up strong and healthy," shares his mother.

Sebazungu is a 20-year-old young man and a student at his secondary school. His best subject is biology. He has seven siblings, four boys and three girls, who are all in school. His parents struggle to pay for the education of their children. One year ago, Sebazungu developed a painful swelling in his right inguinal (groin) region. His parents took him to hospital where he was diagnosed with a right inguinal scrotal hernia, a condition where part of his intestine is protruding through his inner groin area. Surgery was advised, but his parents couldn't afford to pay for his treatment. The pain has intensified in the past two months. Sebazungu is now unable to lift heavy items. He also cannot sit and concentrate in class and sometimes he misses school. $249 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Sebazungu needs. After surgery, he hopes to go back to school and attend classes on a regular basis.

Meet Beata, a four-year-old girl from Uganda who lives with her grandmother, aunts, and uncles. “Beata has malnutrition, which has caused short-term impacts of skin sores and lethargy,” our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation explains. “If not treated, long-term impacts could include stunting and impaired cognitive development. “Beata enjoys skipping rope and playing ball with other children in her village, when she is feeling good,” the Kellermann Foundation adds. “Her grandmother, Candida, is a widow and works as a subsistence farmer growing food for her family and a little extra to sell in the market. She still has older children in school and the fees are expensive, so she was very worried about the costs of coming to the hospital with Beata.” $375 will cover the cost of Beata’s treatment. “Since her malnutrition has been caught early, Beata should not suffer any long-term effects,” the Kellermann Foundation shares. “Please thank all the supporters for their help. I want her to be healthy and strong and go to school when she is older,” her grandmother said.