Thea is a 39-year-old gendarmerie (military policeman) from Cambodia. He has been proudly married for 7 years and has 3 daughters. Thea's first two children are in school. In his free time, he likes to exercise, play football, listen to music and news, read books, and take care of his children. Five years ago, Thea had a severe fall and subsequently developed right hip pain. He was diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the hip, a painful condition that occurs when the blood supply to the head of the femur (thighbone) is disrupted. Because bone cells need a steady supply of blood to stay healthy, it can ultimately lead to destruction of the hip joint and severe arthritis. After his accident, he was given pain medication, but the medication only helped for a short time. He continues to have chronic pain and needs to have his condition treated. Fortunately, Thea learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). At CSC, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Thea of his pain and allow him to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for January 6th, and Thea needs help raising $1,087 to pay for this procedure. Thea shared, "I hope that after my operation, I will be able to walk without pain and can do my job easily again."

Vireak is a 1-year-old baby boy from Cambodia. He is the first child in his family. Vireak's mother works in a factory, and his father is a farmer who also sells plastic materials. Vireak enjoys playing with toys, eating, sleeping, and watching cartoons on a phone. In May, Vireak was burned by hot water on both of his hands. He received treatment in the aftermath of the burn at a hospital for 20 days. Now, he still has scar contractures on the middle finger of his right hand and the middle and ring finger of his left hand. These burn contractures make it difficult for him to move his fingers and hands normally. A contracture release and full thickness skin graft procedure will be performed on both hands to alleviate this problem. When Vireak learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), his family traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On December 2nd, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to allow him to use his hands again. Now, he needs help to fund this $477 procedure. Vireak's mother shared. "I am worried his hand will get worse if we can not fix this now. I hope he does not need any more operations."

Meet Diana: a 17-year-old bright, social, and jovial girl at our partner's clinic in Voi, Kenya. Diana is the second born in a family of three children. Their family hails from Sofia village in Taita Taveta county and her single mother is a small business lady. Diana was born healthy, however, when she was seven months old, her mother noticed her condition when she started crawling. She could not stand or walk, and her left part of the body was weak. It is then that Diana's mom learned that she has a condition known as Hemiplegic CP, causing paralysis of one side of the body. Diana's left hand is greatly affected and she cannot hold things or engage in household duties like washing clothes and dishes. Her desire is to have her hand straight and functional so that she can be independent and do her own things at home and in her future. Diana's mother is unable to raise the estimated cost of $1,224 and has requested for support for her daughter's surgery. “I would like to request for support so that my hand can function well and I can help my mother at home. If my hand functioned normally, I will be happy,” Diana told us.

Sopheak is a 38-year-old construction worker from Cambodia. He has one son and two daughters, and has been married to his wife for the last 22 years. In his free time, his favorite activities include looking after his children, doing the housework, feeding his chickens, and cooking. Last year, Sopheak was in a motorcycle collision and fractured his left leg. He experiences pain, swelling, and is unable to walk or stand without support. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On March 4th, Sopheak will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. Surgery will allow Sopheak to walk independently again and return to his activities with little difficulty. "My family is worried because they are no longer able to afford treatments. I hope that after my surgery, I will no longer have any pain or swelling, and will be able to walk on my own again. My wife is looking forward to getting back to her normal activities without having to look after me everyday," he said.

Malaika is a two-month-old baby girl from Tanzania. Maliaka is a Swahili name meaning Angel. She is the last born in a family of five children. Both Malika's parents depend on small-scale farming and livestock keeping for their living and to support their family of five children. Malaika has clubfoot of both her feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Malaika traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Malaika's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to wear shoes and walk easily as she grows. Malaika’ mother says, “We would love to see our daughter walk like other normal children without being discriminated. Please help support us so that our daughter can have a chance to walk well when the time comes.”

Sovann is a 62-year-old rice farmer from Kampongcham province. His wife passed away many years ago, so he now lives with his oldest son and his family. He likes to take care of his grandchildren and help make improvements in their house. He also likes to make time for traveling to different pagodas. Four months ago, Sovann started to feel pain in his right hip. The pain grew until he could not walk without support or move his legs well. He traveled three hours to come to Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) for treatment, where doctors found that he had developed necrosis of the hip. Now, doctors will perform a total hip replacement. Once he has fully recovered, he will be able to walk easily again and will not feel any more pain. He will be able to return to work and caring for his family. The surgery will cost $539 and Sovann needs your support.

Sean is a 64-year-old farmer who makes a living selling her crops locally. Her husband died four years ago from heart disease, but she has nine children in the area. She lives with one of her daughters, and together they help take care of her nine grandchildren. In her free time she loves to visit the local pagodas and take part in celebrations and ceremonies. 2 years ago, Sean started to experience back pain. She was able to work despite this pain, but the condition got worse over time. She was able to obtain painkillers which helped her continue to function. However, she recently has felt her pain increasing again. She experiences too much pain to be able to walk or stand for longer than a few minutes, and has difficulty sleeping. Luckily, Sean has come to Children's Surgical Centre, for help and doctors will be able to perform a laminectomy to relieve pressure on the nerves in her spinal cord. She will feel immediate pain relief and will have a much easier time doing all of her daily activities. She will also be able to return to her work and take care of her grandchildren.

Rin is a 49-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He and his wife have been married for 20 years, and have two children together. His wife works in a factory, and his children are all in school. He works long hours, and raises chickens for additional income. He enjoys cooking for his family in his free time. Rin had a work accident and has an open fracture on left forearm. He went to a local hospital for an open reduction internal fixation and skin graft, but the surgery did not help him feel better. He has now come to Watsi's Medical Partner CSC because the fracture is still impacting him in a challenging way. He cannot use his fingers and has pain when he tries to work with this hand. One year ago, he was dragged under a vehicle and fractured his left forearm. He went to a local hospital and was operated on, but the fracture did not heal properly. He still experiences chronic pain from his injury, and he cannot move his hand. His family has lost their primary source of income since he cannot work, and he is worried about being able to support them. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On June 3rd, Rin will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. After the surgery, he will be able move his wrist and hand, and return to work. Rin said, "I am proud of my work and I want to work so I can support my family. My hand is in pain all the time, but I really hope that this surgery is enough for me to keep working."

Rachel is a tailor from Kenya. She is a middle-aged woman from the east of the country. Eight years ago, she noted a lump on her right breast and consulted several hospitals. She had FNA tests run and cancer was ruled out. In 2014, she had a lumpectomy but unfortunately, the lump recurred in 2018. She was biopsied in a different hospital and still did not get a cancer diagnosis. Late in 2019, she opted to come to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Kijabe Hospital where she had several tests done, including an ultrasound and CT scan. Doctors diagnosed early-stage cancer. Rachel returned to the hospital in April and surgery is advised. If not operated on, she is at risk of cancer metastasis, which might result in an early death. Rachel is a mother of two children, ages 10 and 8 years old. She lives in a two-roomed rental house paying $34 per month. She sustains her family through her small tailoring venture in their house. Living with a disability, where she had a right femur osteomyelitis in 1982, she is not able to move with ease, and this limits her ability to earn a better living and lifestyle. She separated with her husband, making it hard for her to meet the daily cost of living. She left her two children with a neighbor to come for surgery and appeals for financial help. Without treatment, her cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $898 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Rachel. The procedure is scheduled to take place on May 6th. After treatment, Rachel will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Rachel says, “Thank you for agreeing to support my surgery. I am grateful and look forward to quick recovery.”

Goodluck is a six-year-old boy from Tanzania. He is the last born child in a family of three children and is currently in class two. Goodluck is a very active and playful boy who loves playing football with friends. His mother is a livestock keeper and she is able to sell the milk she gets from her two cows and through this she is able to support her family. His father is in Kenya working as guard. Goodluck was born a healthy baby without any problem, but at the age of two months his parents noticed he had a small swelling on the upper side of his left eye. His parents thought it would disappear with time but to date, the swelling has not disappeared and it keeps increasing in size. If not treated, the mass will continue increasing in size and cause facial deformity, pain, and discomfort. Goodluck traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 14th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Goodluck needs help to raise $689 to fund this procedure. Goodluck’s mother says, “The mass keeps growing. We are worried, please help treat our son.”

Soti is a farmer from Kenya. Soti is a widow and mother of four with many grandchildren. Her husband died 28 years ago while she was still in her early 40’s. She became a strong woman for her children and took care of them. Ten years ago, Soti developed blurred vision in her eyes which is related to muscular degeneration. On February 27th she fell on her left hip while she was walking to the farm due to her poor vision. She is not able to walk and is in pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On March 4th, Soti will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help her heal and walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $968 to fund this procedure. Soti says, “I want to get out of bed and walk again, please pray for me and support my surgery.”

Zeth is 3 year old boy who likes playing games like kick the can with his friends. Wednesday, the 22nd of Jan, in the evening Zeth was playing with his friends when he was knocked down by one of his friends injuring his hand. Zeth was brought to our hospital crying and on his arrival, he was injected pain meds before he was sent for an x-ray which confirmed that Zeth had fractured his left elbow. Zeth was unable to lift or fold his left hand, all he could do is cry for help. He was then admitted for surgery to fix his fractured elbow. Zeth is the firstborn child in a family of two and he has just joined kindergarten. His father is a student in a teachers’ college and his mother is a housewife. They are a young family raised from a humble background. Currently, Zeth's mother has a nursing child so she can’t work. On the other hand, his father is in school continuing with his studies with the hope of improving his employment prospects. The young family mostly depends on Zeth's grandparents for basic and other family needs. They also still stay with them because they can’t afford to buy a land or build a home of their own. The family has nothing to pay for his surgery. They are requesting anyone to support them so that Zeth can receive treatment. Sharon, Zeth’s aunt says, “He has so much pain, I hope he gets treated and feels relieved.”