Meet Paula, an imaginative 18-month-old girl from Guatemala. “She pretends to make and serve tea, and sometimes when at the Tortilleria she makes mini-tortillas out of the extra corn maza to ‘sell’ to her mom,” says our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). Paula has acute malnutrition. Her father abandoned the family one year ago, which made it difficult for her mother to support the family with her full-time job as a tortilla maker. Her mother shares, “I feel I am not able to give her what she needs: education, food, a home.” Because Paula is malnourished, she is losing weight and has consistent diarrhea. This condition leads to a type of growth failure known as stunting. Without proper nutrition, this illness will continue to affect Paula’s brain development, immune system and her ability to learn and succeed in school. $535 will fund Paula’s treatment, which includes laboratory tests and 1-4 months of intensive nutritional intervention in her home. In addition, a specialized case manager and nutritionist will make weekly monitoring visits at the home to provide Paula with “the knowledge needed to prepare healthy meals for her family in the future.” Paula will begin to recover developmental milestones and benefit from the long-term outlook of “improved cognitive potential, school completion, and economic prospects,” says WK. “This treatment saves brains." Let’s help to provide Paula and her family with the nutritional support and education they need, so that Paula can develop into a strong, healthy young woman.

Meet Saw Klein, a 30-year-old man from Burma! Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects tells us, "He is a farmer and works on his own land. He is not married and has no children. He grows rice and beans and his family also plants a few rubber trees.” “Saw Klein is very thin and deals with severe jaundice. The big toe on his left foot causes him severe physical discomfort. Although there is little sensation, there is still a little blood flow which causes him serious pain. From below the knee there is no blood flow and so the leg is very thin – it’s just bone. He cannot stand or lie down, he can only sit. He cannot sleep and he has no appetite,” explains BBP. Saw Klein was diagnosed with human pythiosis, which is a fungal infection, a life-threatening infections disease. For $1,500, Saw Klein will receive a mid-thigh amputation to preserve the limb integrity of his left leg, and to get rid of the pain and discomfort from his leg. “At the moment, I cannot think about having a girlfriend because I am in pain all the time, but in the future I will,” says Saw Klein. Let’s help Saw start living a pain-free life, and to regain some of his independence!

Meet Jivan! Jivan is eight-years-old and lives with his younger sister and parents in Nepal. According to our medical partner, Possible, “Jivan studies in Standard 2 at a local school and likes language classes the most. He likes playing football with his friends.” Recently, Jivan injured his left wrist after falling from the guava tree. His doctors share, “After the fall he couldn't move his left hand. There was a painful swelling in his left wrist. He couldn't do the ordinary works he would do daily.” Jivan’s parents want to ensure that he receives the care he needs, but they cannot cover the cost of his treatment. Jivan’s mother says, “His father was so worried when he learnt about the condition. If we could provide treatment here, we don't need to go to India which is very costly.” For $205, we can help Jivan get treatment for his wrist. His doctors are confident that with treatment, “Jivan will be able to return to school and perform daily activities.” Let’s help get Jivan back to the football field with his friends!

Meet Eliza! This three-month-old lives in the Haitian countryside with her parents and sibling. Eliza's mother sells secondhand clothing to support her family. Eliza was born with an imperforated anus and is unable to properly pass stool. "Her case is very serious and she may face infection," Watsi's medical partner, Project Medishare, writes about Eliza. "When the mother came to the hospital with the baby, the doctors received the family and started providing treatment to the baby to make her situation better; she has been given medications to prevent infection." We are working to raise $1,500 to fund surgery to completely reconstruct Eliza’s anus and rectum. "The treatment will have a very high and good impact on the baby’s life as she will be able to pass stools normally," the Project Medishare Team tells us. "This will help her to have a healthy life and a good childhood.”

75-year-old, smiling San is from Cambodia. San lives with her three children and four grandchildren in a province close to the capital. She visited our medical partner in Cambodia, because with age, she has developed cataracts in both eyes. The doctors there tell us, "San's vision began to blur a year ago. She is now partially blind. San is unhappy that she can't see anything clearly and cannot work or help around the house." San cannot afford the $100 surgery needed to restore her vision. Your donation will pay for her to see again and help her family at home again.

63-year-old Nheb is from Cambodia and has a large family, with six children and eight grandchildren. Nheb previously worked as a seller in the market. However, Nheb started losing her vision four years ago, due to cataracts. She is now partially blind and has had to stop working. Our medical partner in Cambodia say that a simple surgery, that costs $100, will restore eyesight and prevent blindness. They add that this is important to Nheb, because, "she is unhappy that she cannot earn an income to support her family." The family cannot afford the surgery, but we can help! Together, let's raise $100 for Nhebs operation. Your donation will give Nheb back her sight, and her ability to help support her family.

Meet Phally, a 57-year-old mother of four and grandmother of five, living in Cambodia. “Phally began losing her vision at the age of 18," our medical partners, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tell us. "Her eyesight has worsened over the past 10 years and she is almost completely blind." This is because she now has mature cataracts in both eyes. Cataracts result from clouding of the lens and, without treatment and can lead to eventual blindness. Before her vision worsened, Phally worked as a rice farmer. Because she cannot see clearly now, she is unable to work. For only $100, Phally will receive the treatment she needs to restore her eyesight and reduce the pain she currently feels. "She looks forward to having her eyesight again so she can be independent, return to working in the rice fields, and cook for her family," the CSC team writes.

Pov is a 47-year-old woman living in Cambodia who enjoys listening to traditional music on the radio. Pov is a mother of five children and has one grandson, but she has struggled to support her family as a result of her deteriorating vision. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, write, “Pov's vision began blurring a year ago. She is now completely blind in her left eye and has had to stop working on the rubber plantation. She traveled five hours from her province, to have this surgery to treat her cataracts.” For $100, we can pay for Pov's cataract extraction surgery. The procedure will restore her vision and reduce her pain, allowing Pov to return to work on her plantation so she can support her family.

Horn here is a 77-year-old man living in Cambodia. He is a father of six and a grandfather of eight. Horn enjoys listening to the radio in his spare time. For the past three years, Horn has been losing his eyesight and our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, has recently diagnosed him with mature cataracts in both eyes. The clouding of his vision has made it difficult for him to recognize things and CSC reports that he now “relies on his family to care for him, which makes him very unhappy.” For $100, we can provide Horn with a small-incision cataract surgery that will prevent him from going blind and restore a great portion of his vision. Let's give Horn back the sense of independence he so greatly appreciates!

Chheng is a 63-year-old woman from Cambodia who loves to garden. "Chheng's vision began to blur 4 months ago," our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, writes. "Because of her poor eyesight she has had to stop work selling crops and has difficulty supporting her two daughters and 2 grandchildren." For $100 we can help Chheng get cataract surgery to improve her eyesight and prevent blindness. Let's help Chheng return to her life (and garden) as quickly as possible.

Say hello to Thy, a 48-year-old woman who loves gardening! Thy is from Cambodia and has one son and two grandchildren. She began losing her eyesight two years ago, and is now completely blind due to mature cataracts in both eyes. Because of her cataracts, Thy is no longer able to garden around her home. She cannot work, care for herself, or take care of her family, which makes her very unhappy. For just $100, we can provide Thy with a cataract surgery that will allow her to see again. Let’s help Thy regain her independence!

Smiling 82-year-old Sroeng is from Cambodia. A year ago she started loosing her vision and our medical partner says she is now, "completely blind due to the cataracts in both of her eyes". Sroeng and her son traveled four hours to reach our partner hospital, hoping to get funding for a treatment they could not otherwise afford. Because of her loss of sight, Sroeng relies on her son to help her move around and guide her, restricting her autonomy. Getting her sight back will make a big difference in her life. $100 will cover what is called a small incision cataract surgery, or SICS, and fully restore her eyesight. Your donation towards this operation will make her autonomous again, and able to take care of herself and her family!