Juana is 70 years old and lives with her family in a humble home made of adobe and tin. Her family owns a small store that sells tortillas and snacks, which is their primary income. Unfortunately, with several small grandchildren and a growing family, this is not enough to pay for even basic food and water sometimes, let alone high-quality medical care or the travel required to get from her rural village to the hospital. Juana has been suffering from type-two diabetes and high blood pressure for many years without being able to take medication. This has caused her to develop cataracts in her eyes, making her nearly blind. This has made it hard for her to do what she loves most, playing with her grandchildren and weaving traditional Maya textiles. If she does not receive treatment, she could become totally blind and require assistance in all her daily activities, severely limiting her independence. $1,500 will cover the costs of the surgery to remove Juana's cataracts, as well as all post-operative care. This treatment will allow Juana to see clearly for the first time in nearly a decade. She will be able to play with her grandchildren, weave, and do daily activities without assistance.

Juan was born prematurely and had to spend the first month of his life in the hospital. Since then, he has had trouble growing, and recently fell into a state of malnutrition. He is dangerously small for his age, has a weakened immune system, and his development is slowing. If Juan does not receive treatment, he could face permanent consequences--such as mental deficiencies, chronic diseases, and difficulty finding and keeping a good job. Juan is an only child to his mother, who is raising him alone. They live in a one-room adobe home with a tin roof. His grandparents support him, since his mother spends all her time taking care of Juan. Unfortunately, they do not have the resources to give him the diet he needs to overcome his malnutrition--they cannot even afford to give him one egg each day. However, a donation of $512 will ensure that Juan receives the treatment that he needs. This treatment includes growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication. Juan will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake, preventing him from having any more life-threatening situations with diarrhea, fevers, and cough. His parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give Juan the diet he requires to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Juan the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.

Oeun, a 78-year-old woman from Cambodia, is married with four daughters and 20 grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray, reading books, and talking with her friends over tea. One year ago, Oeun developed a cataract in each eye. As a result, she experiences blurred vision and she has difficulty getting around outside on her own. Oeun traveled three hours with her daughter to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), to seek treatment for her condition. In order to restore Oeun's vision, doctors at CSC will perform a phacoemulsification surgery. During this procedure they will break apart her clouded lenses and remove them, replacing them with clear implant lenses. Oeun cannot afford the $225 operation, but we can help raise the funds that will allow her to see clearly again. After a two-day hospital stay at CSC, Oeun should be back home and once again able to participate in the activities she enjoys.

In June 2015, Purity felt a lump on her left breast. She had been to various hospitals with no clear diagnosis until April 2016, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and a mastectomy was recommended. Purity requires this treatment but is not able to raise the amount needed for surgery. Purity is a young mother of one child aged one and a half years old. She recently opened a small business in Nairobi to earn a living after an earlier business failure. Purity is also supported by her brothers as she is not yet stable financially to fully rely on herself. Her parents are not financially stable and so she can not rely on them. Purity experiences pain on her left breast where she has a lump. Purity has emotional stress due to the thoughts of having cancer and the risks associated with cancer. She prefers being alone. If not treated, Purity risks having cancer spread to other parts of her body which might result to premature death. After the treatment, risk of cancer spreading to other parts of Purity’s body and possibly causing death will be reduced. Purity will also be free to work and raise her young child. “I want to get well, raise awareness about cancer, and raise my child," Purity said.

Meet Jostin, an eight-month-old boy who lives with his family in the highlands of Guatemala. Jostin is malnourished. He is far below the normal size for his age, and is prone to frequent sickness due to a weakened immune system. As a result, he has a poor appetite, is often dangerously dehydrated and has lost considerable weight. Jostin's mother is his primary caregiver, while his father works in the fields. While both parents work hard and do the best they can to provide for Jostin, they don't earn enough money to afford the basic elements of a daily balanced diet: eggs, fruit and vegetables. If Jostin lets his malnutrition go unchecked, he could face serious consequences down the line, such as a low IQ, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Luckily, there is a way to help. For $512, Jostin can receive growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation and deworming medication. When Jostin receives treatment, he will likely gain weight, grow taller and catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake, preventing him from having any more life-threatening situations with diarrhea, fevers and cough. His parents will also receive support to feel empowered to give Jostin the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will help prevent any future devastating effects of malnutrition, and will give Jostin the chance to live a healthy and productive life.

71-year-old Lawrence lives in a village in Malawi. For the past year, Lawrence has been experiencing negative symptoms from his enlarged prostate. He has been having difficulty urinating without pain or working with his garden. To treat his painful condition, Lawrence needs a prostate resection, which is a surgery to remove a part of the prostate gland. A successful surgery will allow Lawrence to urinate comfortably and live his life without pain. The procedure costs $742, and he will be able to receive treatment from our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM). Lawrence shared, "I will be very happy to have the surgery because I will return to normal daily life."

Van Inh is a cheerful girl who loves life. Her parents say they often find her singing to herself happily. When Van Inh was 10 months old, her parents noticed that her eyes looked different. They didn’t know what was wrong, but they thought it might go away as she got older. More than 3 years later, Van Inh’s parents have brought her to Children’s Surgical Centre for treatment. Doctors at CSC immediately diagnosed her with strabismus, a condition that will cause life-long problems with depth perception and severe headaches if left untreated. They tell us it is critically important to correct Van Inh’s condition early to prevent it from worsening over time. Van Inh’s mother is a housewife and her father is a construction worker. They make just enough money to support themselves, but finding the money needed to treat their daughter’s condition is nearly impossible. We need to raise $300 so that CSC can fully cover the cost of Van Inh’s care.