“I hope this surgery will go well so that I can continue earning for my family,” shares Samuel. “Since this leg started paining and making it hard for me to walk, it has been difficult for me to sell at our shop, which is all we depend on.” Samuel is a 48-year-old shopkeeper who lives in Kenya with his wife and three children. Samuel and his wife earn a small income from their shop, where they sell soap, sugar, salt and fat. “In 2009, Samuel was hit by a car and fractured the fibula of the left leg,” explains his doctor at African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He was treated with plaster of paris. Two weeks ago, he slipped and the leg broke with dislocation of the ankle joint.” $1,125 will fund an open reduction and internal fixation surgery to repair Samuel’s leg and ankle. The comprehensive fracture repair will mend Samuel’s bone more solidly than his previous treatment, and Samuel will be able to walk again and work to provide for his family.

Meet Maxwell, an eight-day-old boy from Kenya. Maxwell's mother and Maxwell live in a single-roomed rental house, and his mother works as house cleaner. When Maxwell was born, he was diagnosed with spina bifida -- a birth defect in which the membrane and backbone around the spinal cord are not completely closed off. “If the surgery is not done soon, Maxwell is likely to develop an infection,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. “He is also likely to develop spinal complications such as scoliosis and/or tethered cord.” "My son means everything to me," Maxwell's mother says. "He gives me a reason to wake up every day and work hard to give him a better future." For $805, we can fund Maxwell's spina bifida closure surgery to reduce any spinal complications and risks of being infected.

"Neymar was brought to us underweight and far below the ideal height for his age," says our medical partner in Guatemala, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "It was clear he is suffering from malnutrition and risking normal brain development. Stunted children, such as Neymar, tend to have low energy, decreased IQ and don’t make major developmental milestones." One-year-old Neymar is from a family of six, and has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. "With so many tiny mouths to feed his mother has been overwhelmed," says WK. "Usually she works in a shoe shop to make some extra money, while Neymar’s father is a day laborer on various farming properties. They do not have direct access to potable water, and even thought both parents try their best, Neymar is still not growing as well as they had hoped." For $535, we can fund the cost of treatment for malnutrition. A nutritionist and case manager will work with Neymar's family to conduct laboratory testing and provide appropriate micronutrient supplements. "We believe our treatment plan will lead to Neymar’s full recovery," says WK. "His parents will walk away with new educational tools to combat malnutrition and provide a varied and substantial diet to all their children."

Meet Samuel. He is 44 years old and lives in Kenya with his wife and two young children. Samuel worked as a driver for a cargo company up until a few months ago, when he was involved in a road accident. His health initially seemed stable, but shortly after the accident Samuel's jaw started to hurt. He now lives with sharp jaw pain, and can’t chew or eat normally. Samuel’s wife, who works as a small-scale farmer, must prepare him an all-liquid diet for sustenance. Samuel was diagnosed with a fractured mandible, but he cannot afford the treatment. With no means of supporting himself without his truck, the $660 for the cost of surgery is too much. Samuel had to move his family from their small town into the countryside because he could no longer afford to pay rent. "There is nothing worse than being able to provide for yourself and now being reduced to depending on others," Samuel shares with us. "I really hope that Watsi will help me so that I can take a loan to repair my pickup truck and revive my business." Let’s work together to raise the funds needed for Samuel’s surgery. The treatment will return his jaw to its normal state, and give him a chance to get back on his feet.