This young woman is Kansiime, a 33-year-old mother from Uganda. “Kansiime is married and the mother of three children,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “She delivered her second child in a village health centre and [suffered a perineal tear] which the centre could not fix. Kansiime didn't have money to go to a hospital for treatment, and she underwent a third delivery which increased the tear.” Due to this tear, Kansiime experiences genital pain and struggles to bend over or walk long distances. Furthermore, her condition prevents her from doing the work she would like. As a housewife, Kansiime does not earn an income of her own, and her husband cannot support the family on his small primary school teacher's salary either. In fact, at this point in time, the couple does not own their own home--they live with Kansiime’s mother. Thus, this family is in great need of financial assistance. With our support of $180, Kansiime will undergo a simple operation during which doctors will suture the tear. Once healed, she will be alleviated of her current symptoms and will be able to begin farming to provide for her family, just as she has hoped. “I am in a lot of pain and discomfort,” explains Kansiime. “I am requesting help so that I can be well again.”

Hoeun, a 29-year-old woman from Cambodia, was born with esotropia, a “congenital condition that has causes her right eye to turn inward,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). People with esotropia often have a cross-eyed appearance, and are unable to see straight. Hoeun's condition makes it difficult for her to work, and causes her to be shy when going outside. "Hoeun is married with two daughters," CSC shares. "She works tailoring clothes. In her free time she listens to social news and helps teach her daughter." She heard about CSC after her brother received treatment, and traveled 90 minutes to seek her own treatment. $290 covers the cost of a procedure to properly align Hoeun’s eye. This procedure consists of identifying and moving muscles on the eye in order to straighten it. The conjunctiva, the clear covering of the white part of the eye, is opened to reveal the muscle, and then closed. This is usually done under general anesthesia. “I hope my eye is straight and beautiful like other women, and that I won’t be shy anymore," Hoeun shares.

“Currently, my biggest concern is my health. I wish to get treatment so that I get good health and look after my family. Thank you in advance for your help,” says Kobusinge, a 24-year-old woman from Uganda. “Kobusinge is married and a mother of two girls...She likes eating ripe bananas,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares. “She farms to produce food for her family, but she has not been able to farm because of her pain. Kobusinge also sells second-hand clothes at the market every Saturday. Sometimes she leaves the market without selling anything. Her husband is not employed but looks after his two cows. He earns income through selling milk.” After noticing a swelling on her abdomen above the belly button, Kabusinge began to experience severe pain. Kabusinge was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia – a condition in which the intestine protrudes through the abdominal muscles at the belly button. Once diagnosed, surgery was advised. For $220 Kabusinge will receive a hernia repair. AMHF reports that after her surgery, “Kobusinge will be able to farm again with no pain. She will also no longer be at risk of intestinal obstruction, incarceration or strangulation.”

Mohamed is a happy and active five-year-old boy from Tanzania. He enjoys playing with cars and coloring pictures. He also loves exploring--“Mohamed cannot stay put in one place,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He likes to walk around, stopping to examine something that catches his eyes.” Mohamed currently shares a room with two other kids at his grandparents' house. However, due to his enlarged adenoids, Mohamed has trouble breathing, especially during the night. “We can see how Mohamed struggles to breathe,” shares Mohamed’s grandfather. “He can hardly close his mouth because he has to inhale through the mouth." “Mohamed is the only child to his parents, who unfortunately separated very early after having their only child,” explains AMHF, “Mohamed’s father died early this year after being sick for a long time, and his mother decided to leave her son to be raised by his grandparents.” His grandparents are taking care of three other children who are all still in school. With their income, they cannot afford the adenoidectomy operation Mohamed needs. For $488, a surgeon will remove the enlarged mass of lymphoid tissue behind Mohamed’s nasal passages. This relatively simple procedure typically only takes 30 minutes to perform. Afterward, Mohamed will no longer have trouble breathing through his nostrils. Both he and the other kids in his room will be able to sleep peacefully through the night.

“Elias is married to a farmer and they have six children,” says our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation. Elias is a 54-year-old man living in Uganda. Previously, he worked as a lumberjack to help support his family. Elias has an unobstructed hernia in his back. “He first noted a small but painful swelling two years back,” explains the Kellermann Foundation, “he followed advice from his close friends and took some herbs.” Unfortunately, this treatment did not ease his condition. Hernias occur when part of an organ protrudes through the wall of the cavity containing it and often times cause extreme pain. “Elias has not been able to lumber in the last seven months due to the pain." For $227, Elias can get the hernia surgically repaired. His family's income is limited, especially since he can't generate significant income because of his hernia. His condition "has made him not able to support his family, or even have money for the treatment." The Kellermann Foundation expects that after the surgery, Elias’s symptoms will subside. “Unrestrained from this pain, he will be able to work and take care of his family again.” "Once I am well," Elias shares, "I will be able to do my work without any pain and provide for my family once again.”

“Sometimes my daughter asks me what’s wrong with her arm and I feel so upset. I don’t know what to say,” says the mother of Hnin, a five-year-old girl from Burma suffering from a contracture of her arm. Normally elastic, the muscles in Hnin’s index finger, wrist and elbow have become tight and rigid—making it impossible for Hnin to bend her arm properly. It is difficult for her to perform everyday activities like getting dressed or playing with friends. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), explains: The contractures are an unexpected side effect of a previous operation Hnin underwent when she was just a few months old, in which doctors made “an incision from underneath her armpit to the tip of her index finger” to reduce intense swelling of Hnin’s arm. As an active child who wants to attend school, “Hnin follows the other children to school and stands outside looking in. Sometimes my daughter’s friends ask her what happened to her arm, and they play doctors, pretending to cut the contraction,” shares BBP. Hnin’s mother and father work as agricultural day laborers, farming corn and beans. They were forced to work full-time to cover the expenses associated with Hnin’s previous surgery, so Hnin lives with her grandmother. “However, their work is irregular and the family earns enough to cover daily expenses, but they don’t have savings or money to pay for Hnin’s healthcare,” adds BBP. After borrowing money for Hnin’s previous surgery at 20% interest, “the interest quickly accumulated and the couple had trouble paying it off.” With the support of Hnin’s make-believe doctor pals, Watsi donors, and physicians at BBP’s Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand, Hnin’s treatment and recovery can be made possible. $1,500 in Watsi funding, along with $1,585 in subsidies from BBP, will cover a contracture release surgery for Hnin, in which doctors will make incisions in her arm to remove the abnormal tissue. BBP predicts, “Following treatment it is hoped that Hnin will have full use of her arm and will then be able to attend school in Burma with her friends.” Her mother is looking forward to moving back to Burma to live with her daughter as soon as possible. Let’s help this adorable five-year-old regain use of her arm so she can live a normal childhood!

Ashraf is a cute 15-week-old boy living in Tanzania with his parents, who are small scale farmers, and two siblings. "Ashraf is an active baby. He feeds well and likes to move his arms and legs around," shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Ashraf has congenital hydrocephalus—a buildup of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain at birth. AMHF tells us, "If not treated, Ashraf is at risk of losing his vision and a big and heavy head will not allow Ashraf to sit, crawl, stand or walk. Although it is at a small rate, Ashraf’s head is increasing in size." Ashraf’s mother first noticed that he had a serious medical condition when he was six weeks old. "Ashraf’s mother noticed her son’s head was unusually soft and the blood vessels were too visible on his forehead," continues AMHF. "His parents rely on growing and selling maize and beans. With two children going to school, coming up with enough money to pay for the surgery which Ashraf needs has been a challenge." The surgical procedure to drain excess fluid from Ashraf's brain costs $775. After treatment, AMHF expects, "Ashraf will be out of the risk of losing his eyesight and he will continue with normal development." "We love our son dearly and we hope that he will get better, grow up like his siblings and later on have the ability to go to school,” shares Ashraf’s mother.

Meet Kelvin, an 11-month-old boy from Kenya. “He is the youngest of five children. When Kelvin’s mother first gave birth to her sone, he was healthy for the first four months. Then, his head began increasing in size,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “His eyes have sunk into his head and he cries out in pain more and more each day,” AMHF explains. Kelvin has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the head. AMHF continues, “As a result, it is causing an increased intra-cranial pressure inside the skull and may lead to progressive enlargement of the head, if not treated. The elevated intracranial pressure may result to life-threatening brains them compression and potentially cause convulsion, tunnel vision, and possibly mental disability.” Kelvin’s mother, who raises her son on her own, sells vegetables from the plot of land that she shares with her parents. She earns approximately $3 each day, which she uses to send her older children to school. “It has become difficult for his mother to continue on with her business of selling vegetables as most of her time is spent on trying to seek medical help for her son in the hospital,” AMHF says. “Kelvin’s treatment will help his mother get back to her business and be able to earn money to sustain her five children who entirely depend on her.” “Kelvin’s surgery will help reduce the excessive pressure in the brain, prevent visual impairment, and death,” says AMHF. The treatment, called a hydrocephalus shunt, involves the implementation of two catheters and flow control valve system to drain the excess fluid, and costs $980. “I hope my son can support his head soon and his head can stop increasing in size,” shares Kelvin’s devoted mother. “Finances are the only restrictions.”

Brian, a 35-year-old Kenyan man, came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), seeking treatment for a leg injury sustained earlier this year in a hit-and-run accident involving a motorcycle. “Since then,” explains AMHF, “he is unable to work and relies solely on his family.” Brian’s condition, chronic osteomyelitis of the right tibia, is an infection of his lower leg bone resulting from his injury. Typical symptoms include recurring pain, redness, swelling, and bone loss. Currently, “Brian is experiencing pain and inability to use his right leg,” AMHF tells us. “If not treated, Brian is at risk of pathological fracture of the tibia.” Treatment of osteomyelitis is a surgical technique to regenerate bone lost as a result of the infection. In this technique—known as bone transport—an orthopedic surgeon breaks the involved bone and attaches the bone fragments to an external fixation device. As the fracture begins to heal, the external fixator is adjusted to pull the healing fracture apart approximately one millimeter per day. Separating the fragments in this manner promotes bone growth and results in the restoration of the lost bone over time. After the accident, Brian was treated surgically, but the procedure was unsuccessful, and he cannot pay for the additional surgery that he needs. $1,500 in funding pays for the bone transport surgery as well as 12 days of hospital care, antibiotic therapy, and physiotherapy. Brian’s family has saved $110 to cover additional costs associated with his care. “We expect after a bone transport, Brian's leg will heal,” shares AMHF. “He will be able to use his leg again. Brian will be able to work.” "I had planned to marry and provide for my family before this accident,” says Brian. “I really hope I will be able to do that after this surgery.”