Meet Maximo, a one-year-old baby boy from Guatemala. “Maximo just learned to walk this month and is now walking everywhere he can,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). “He is the youngest of ten children and his oldest sibling is 15 years old. They live in a three room adobe mud house with a metal lamina roof and dirt floors.” Maximo suffers from acute malnutrition. Without the proper caloric intake and macronutrients, his immune system is weak and he is frequently ill. His family has sought help for him at their nearby health center, but the staff there did not provide them with any help. “Although Maximo’s family wants to provide him with all the tools necessary to live a healthy life, they are currently unsure how to do so and lack sufficient resources to afford to do so,” reports WK. With $535 in Watsi funding, Maximo and his family will be able to participate in a program that will correct the immediate effects of his malnutrition and ensure that the family can enjoy long-term nutritional health. Maximo will receive micronutrient support and medication to strengthen his immune system and help him grow to reach his full mental and physical potential. “This intervention will prevent Maximo from suffering the long term effects of malnutrition,” explains WK. His parents will receive intensive nutritional education. With this knowledge, they can provide proper nutrition without huge cost. “The education will give Maximo’s parents the tools they need to continue providing nutrition to their children after treatment is complete,” says WK. This intervention is crucial for Maximo and his family. “They are constantly strapped for resources, and Maximo’s health issues have been draining some of the little money they have,” shares WK. “His mother was very happy when we arrived and insisted on giving us the first peaches off of their peach tree to say thank you.” With our support, Maximo’s family will have relief from the financial stress of his illness and Maximo will have the capacity to reach his full physical and economic potential.

Meet Cho Than, a 53-year-old seamstress and mother from Burma who enjoys planting vegetables in her garden. Known within her community for her generosity, Cho Than often gives the vegetables that she grows to her neighbors and friends. Cho Than has a myoma, more commonly known as a uterine fibroid. Fibroids are benign tumors that grow within the muscle tissue of the uterus, or womb. They can be very small (invisible to the naked eye) or very large (melon-sized) and can present as a single mass or a cluster of several masses. An estimated 80 percent of women have uterine fibroids in their lifetime. While some women who have fibroids have no symptoms, others experience heavy periods, abdominal pain, or constipation. “Cho Than experiences severe pain in her back and lower abdomen,” shares our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “She has difficulty urinating and it is painful for her to do so. Her condition makes it impossible for her to work and requires her daughter to care for her and support her financially.” The recommended treatment for Cho Than is a total hysterectomy and oophorectomy (surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries). $1500 covers the cost of the surgery as well as a seven-day hospital stay and one outpatient appointment post-surgery. “With surgery, Cho Than will be able to live without pain,” reports BBP. Cho Than looks forward to being healthy again and hopes to be able to return to work as a seamstress. She dreams of owning a small house where she and her daughter can live peacefully.