“I want to become a doctor," shares Lavenda, a seven-year-old girl who lives with her aunt in Kenya. In the fall of 2014, Lavenda's grandmother became concerned about her granddaughter's low sound perception and inability to talk. Lavenda was taken to a medical facility for ear, nose, and throat conditions. While there, doctors cleaned her ears, but her hearing did not improve. In 2016, Lavenda was referred to our facility for further treatment and was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs as a result of damage to the sensory cells in the inner ear or the nerve pathways leading from the inner ear to the brain. Possible causes include illnesses, medications, aging, head trauma, and exposure to loud noises. In most cases, there are no medical or surgical interventions to restore normal hearing, making it the most common type of permanent hearing loss. Doctors recommended that Lavenda wear hearing aids to amplify the sound vibrations transmitted to her ears, but her aunt, who sells goods at a grocery shop to earn a living, is unable to raise the full amount of money needed to pay for them. Lavenda does not receive any financial support from her mother and father, who separated with Lavenda was only a year old. Without the hearing aids, Lavenda will have weak academic and social performance. She is still in pre-school due to learning difficulties attributed to her hearing problem. For $712, Lavenda will receive two hearing aids, batteries, and molds to ensure proper fit within her ears. “I know Lavenda is bright, and I want the best for her," says her aunt. "Please help her."

Shawali was identified through the outreach program at Arusha Lutheran Christian Medical Centre (ALMC) when his mother presented him with a "problem with his feet." He has been diagnosed with bilateral club feet, which means that both of his feet are twisted out of shape or position. Shawali, a 20-month-old boy, is the fourth born child to subsistence farmers from Tanzania. Education is important to his parents, and his older siblings all attend school. Because his condition makes it difficult for him to walk properly, Shawali requires treatment to straighten them out and restore him to proper mobility. Shawali's parents need assistance to cover their son's $1,160 procedure. He will have plaster casts on his feet and then an operation to straighten them. After his operation, Shawali will recover at the Plaster House, which is a facility in Tanzania that houses and rehabilitates children after corrective surgery. It is expected that Shawali's feet will achieve full correction and that he will never know that he was born with the club foot condition. His mother tells us, "I hope that Shawali will look normal and go to school like his siblings."

Chandra is an eight-year-old boy from Nepal and a patient with our medical partner, Possible. “Two years ago, Chandra's father abandoned his family and settled in India. Soon after, his mother left him behind with her relatives and decided to start her life afresh,” explains Possible. Chandra’s grandmother and aunt now take care of him. Chandra, a fourth grade boy, loves to play outdoors. Unfortunately, one day when he was somersaulting, he broke his hand. There was no one home who could take him to the hospital, and he had to wait two weeks before he was able to visit Possible. Due to his circumstances, Chandra needs our financial support. For $579, we can fund treatment that will heal Chandra's fracture. The cost of the treatment includes medicine, anesthetics, the surgery, as well as follow-up treatment from community health workers. After about a month, Chandra will be able to resume his daily activities. Chandra's aunt shared: “This child has been through so much, yet he continues to smile. I love that about him.”

Soe is a 27-year-old woman who lives with her husband in Burma. Soe came to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), seeking treatment for gallstones. The gallbladder—a small, pear-shaped organ that sits under the liver—stores and drains bile. When an individual has gallstones, bile drainage may be blocked, causing irritation, spasms, pain, nausea, and vomiting. “Soe is experiencing stomach and lower back pain making it difficult for her to sleep and eat,” BBP tells us. “Usually, when she eats, she feels nauseous and needs to vomit.” Until recently, Soe had a job as a waitress at a hotel restaurant in Thailand, but her symptoms made it impossible for her to work. Facing financial trouble, she and her husband returned to Burma in the hopes of finding treatment for Soe and receiving support from their family. For $1,500, Soe will undergo a laparotomy, a surgical procedure to access the abdominal cavity and remove the gallbladder. Funding also covers the costs of an eight-day hospital stay, transportation to and from the hospital, pre- and post-surgical consultations, and blood tests. “Soe should fully recover following her gallstone surgery,” says BBP. “She should be able to return to her family and again find a job so that she and her husband can save money for their future.” Soe looks forward to a successful operation. “I will work and save money for the next few years, and then, one day, we will have a happy family,” she shared in her pre-operative interview with BBP.

Four-year-old Clarens lives in Haiti with his mother and grandmother. He was born with cerebral palsy and cannot yet walk on his own. However, he is slowly learning to walk with braces and crutches. “He is a very intelligent child and has already learned to read and write well,” says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). HCA continues that in addition to cerebral palsy, Clarens has heart disease. “Clarens was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis, in which one of the valves of his heart is too small to allow blood to adequately pass through. As a result, oxygen does not reach his body in sufficient quantities, leaving him sickly and weak.” Heart surgery can correct Clarens' condition. Health City Caymen Islands has raised $5,000 to cover the cost of his surgery, and another $1,500 from Watsi donors will pay for Clarens' surgery preparation, transportation, and travel funds so he can receive the surgery he needs. “Following surgery, normal blood flow should be restored to Clarens's heart and he should not have any further cardiac symptoms,” HCA says. "I am so happy that this surgery will be possible for Clarens, and I thank God and everyone who is helping to fix my son's heart," says Clarens’ mother.

Meet Jose, a three-year-old boy from Guatemala. Jose was adopted when he was a baby by his loving adoptive parents. “Norma, Jose’s adopted mother, was married for years but could never have kids since she had to have a hysterectomy when she was a teenager," shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). "Norma was thrilled to be able to take Jose in, and has been very happy with him.” Over time though, Norma began to notice that Jose was not developing at the same rate as other children. “Jose is suffering from severe developmental delays and seizures due to congenital hydrocephalus. He was diagnosed when he was one-year-old when he first started to have seizures, but his family has not been able to afford therapy or medications for him,” WK tells us. As of now, Jose can move his hands and hold a ball over his head, but he is having trouble sleeping and has seizures almost everyday. “Since Jose needs constant supervision, his mom has not been able to work, which makes it hard for their family to afford basic necessities,” shares WK. Treatment for Jose costs $1,385, which consists of a full medical workup to clarify his diagnosis, medications for his seizures, intensive physical therapy, and social support for the family. WK shares that these efforts will "help lessen the economic stress that the family has been under with his condition, since all imaging, medications, physical therapy, and medical visits will be included free of charge for them. This treatment will give Jose the chance to become much more independent, mobile, and will decrease the frequency of his seizures…helping Jose reach his full potential, and help to work through the stigma of his developmental delay.” Jose’s mother says that Jose is very smart and she cannot wait for him to start therapy. "My dream is to see my son walk and run," says his mother.

Two-month-old Maritu lives with her family in Ethiopia. She was born with no anal opening—a condition known as anorectal malformation. Due to this, she is unable to pass stool normally. “Maritu presented with partial bowel obstruction at the age of one week,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), explains. “A colostomy was performed urgently. Maritu has recovered both from the surgery and the obstructive symptoms but still has a colostomy and an imperforate anus. Now, she needs a definitive surgery for the correction of her anomaly.” Maritu’s father works as a farmer to provide for his six children, but he does not earn enough money to pay for the surgery that Maritu needs. For $1,500, Maritu will undergo an anorectoplasty to create a new anal opening so that she can pass stool normally. AMHF tells us that after surgery, “Maritu is expected to live a normal life.” Maritu’s father hopes that one day his daughter will be well enough to go to school.

Meet Jean Willio, a 17-month-old boy who lives in Haiti with his parents and seven older siblings. Jean Willio's two favorite pastimes are playing with his older siblings and enjoying music. His parents are both farmers. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) shares, "Jean Willio was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole in the heart which normally closes shortly after birth, remains open." As a result of his heart condition, "blood leaks through this hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen." Without treatment, Jean Willio will remain sickly and weak. Jean Willio's family cannot afford the $1,500 surgery he needs to restore blood flow to his heart. Fortunately, we can help. After the surgery, "he should not have any further cardiac symptoms," says HCA. "We have made many trips to the hospital with our son," Jean Willio's father shares. "We are very happy his heart can be fixed so we don't have to do that anymore."

Jao is a lively 11-month-old baby from the Philippines who "loves to smile at the people around him," shares our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). “When Jao was born, it was found that he did not pass stool at all," ICM shares. Jao was born with an imperforate anus, and one day after birth, Jao received a colostomy as a temporary solution. Jao’s parents tell ICM, “We have given up farming and started to do weaving so that we can stay at home and take care of Jao.” However, their combined earnings of $55 a month from bag weaving is not enough to support the family’s daily needs, much less the colostomy bags Jao requires. $965 will fund corrective surgery to create an anal opening for Jao. ICM expects that after a few months, Jao will be able to have his colostomy closed and, “With this, he is one step closer to becoming a normal child with lots of things to look forward to as he grows." Jao’s parents share, “We would really love to see him well just like any other kid."

Meet Moisa, a two-year-old toddler from Haiti. Moisa was born with a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot, which causes a hole to form between two chambers of the heart and causes a muscular blockage in one of the heart valves. “As a result, blood cannot circulate normally through her body, and she is at constant risk of sudden death,” says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Moisa was born with down syndrome, and she lives with her parents and three older brothers. “Although she has special needs, she is fully involved in the life of her family and has many friends in the neighborhood,” shares HCA. Moisa likes to wear pretty dresses and play, especially blowing bubbles. For $1,500, Moisa will receive the cardiac surgery she needs. Following the surgery, she will no longer have cardiac symptoms or be at risk of sudden death. "Moisa makes everyone smile when they are around her,” expresses her mother. “We are so happy she is getting the surgery she needs!"

Meet Flavio, an eight-year-old boy from Guatemala. “Flavio is the youngest of 3 children,” reports our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). “Flavio likes to watch the chickens run around his front yard when he and his mother are home.” His father works in a cornfield as a day laborer, but his mother has to stay at home in order to give Flavio the attention he needs. “Flavio was born with down syndrome, but his mother did not know about it until he was so old that differences between him and the other children were obvious,” shares WK. “She took him to a therapy center, and they accepted him. However, therapy is expensive, and this little boy’s family has limited resources and cannot afford it on their own.” Flavio needs continued therapy and medical support to ensure that his development progresses. “Without intervention…he will not develop the tools necessary to allow any sort of independence, and thus will have to rely on his family for the rest of his life,” explains WK. With $1385 in funding, Flavio can receive comprehensive treatment that includes diagnostic workup through medical scans, physical therapy, micronutrient and antiepileptic medication, and 6-day accompaniment at Wuqu’ Kawoq’s treatment center. “There is no doubt that therapy and medical attention will not only improve Flavio’s health, but also his quality of life. Therapy will give him increased mobility and communication tools, thereby allowing him to be more independent and function better with his family and in society,” says WK. “Down syndrome is often time paired with health issues. Monthly medical checkups will allow us to monitor Flavio’s progress and assess his future needs. His mother will be counseled on how to provide care for her child, and will be supported by staff throughout the process.” Flavio’s mother is incredibly grateful for the chance to improve her son’s life. “I want what is best for my child,” she shares. “Thank you for your interest in helping us.”

Meet Esther, “a shy three-year-old girl” from Kenya. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), “Esther is the second born in a family of two children and lives with her aged grandparents since her father abandoned them.” Esther has an anorectal malformation—a birth defect in which the anus and rectum do not develop properly. In other words, Esther lacks an anal opening, and thus cannot pass stool normally. She uses an artificial abdominal opening to pass stool—one that “is prone to infection and other complications.” AMHF continues, “If surgery is not done, Esther will never be able to pass stool normally and might develop severe infection.” For $1,260, we can fund a two-stage anorectal malformation surgery—involving both an anorectoplasty and colostomy. After the final procedure, in which a new anal opening will be created, Esther will be able to “relieve herself normally,” shares AMHF. “She will no longer be prone to infections and will be able to interact freely with other children.” Esther's grandmother expresses, “It has been sad to see Esther not interacting with her peers as much as she would like to because of her condition.” Let's help fund this treatment so that Esther can regain her health and live a normal childhood!