Margaret is a farmer from Kenya. She is a mother of three children. She lost her husband in 2013. Margaret has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the 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 $816 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Margaret. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 3. After treatment, Margaret will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Margaret says, “My hope is to be treated and continue bringing up my children. I hope that soon I will be treated and resume my normal duties."

Try is a vegetable farmer from Cambodia. He has three daughters and five grandchildren. He likes to watch comedy films and boxing matches. He loves to spend time with his grandchildren. Six years ago, Try developed a cataract in each eye, causing him blurred vision, irritation, and itching. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Try learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for eight and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 5, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $398 procedure. He says, "I would like to continue my work farming, do house work, and be able to go to anywhere outside by myself after the surgery."

Abigael is a 13-year-old girl from a village in Kenya. When she was two years old, her mother noticed that her legs were bowing and her gait was changing. Since then, the condition has worsened. Abigael is now unable to walk properly. Abigael has bilateral genu valgus, or knock knees. She needs surgery to help her walk correctly and attend school. Fortunately, on January 30, she will undergo an osteotomy to re-align the bones and joints in her legs. Now, her family needs help to raise $1,165 to pay for surgery. Her mother says, “I am appealing to Watsi to assist my daughter to go for surgery. The estimated bill is too big for us, considering I am a farmer and my husband works as a casual cook. I hope my daughter will continue with her studies like other children.”

Myint is a 14-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his family in a small village, where his father owns a rubber plantation. Myint's father and brother work on the plantation and his mother stays home to care for him. When Myint was two months old, his mother noticed that tips of his fingers were turning blue. She gave him different traditional medicines but nothing seemed to help. Growing up, Myint was physically weak, often tired, and struggled to stand up for more than five minutes. He has not been able to attend school for some time now. Recently, Myint's mother took him to a hospital, where he received a chest x-ray and an echocardiogram. Doctors diagnosed him with Tetralogy of Fallot and dextrocardia. Tetralogy of Fallot means that there is a hole between the lower chambers of the heart, an obstruction from the heart to the lungs, an incorrectly placed aorta, and an overly thick heart muscle. Dextrocardia means that his heart points to the right instead of the left. Surgery has been recommended. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Myint's treatment. He is scheduled for surgery at our medical partner's care center, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, on October 6. After treatment he will be able to return to school.

Thet is a 19-year-old farmer who lives with his family in a village in Mon State, Burma. His family owns a rubber tree farm where they harvest the sticky resin and create rubber sheets to sell. A few months ago, Thet began feeling tired and experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing. Thet tried oral medication from a local hospital, however his symptoms still failed to improve and ultimately forced him to take leave from farming. A month later, Thet decided to go to a private clinic. Following the administration of an echocardiogram, doctors diagnosed Thet with an atrial septal defect, or a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of his heart. The cost of surgery was too high, so Thet returned to his home without treatment. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to repair the defect in Thet's heart. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 10 and, once completed, will greatly improve Thet's quality of life. Thet worries about his family’s finances and hopes to be able to go back to work as soon as possible. He looks forward to being able to save up for his future, saying, “I would like to save some money first, and then later have children."

Meavian is a an 18-month-old baby girl from Kenya. She is the only child in her family. Her father works as a barber to support their family, and her mother stays at home to look after her. When Meavian was six months old, her parents noticed that, unlike her peers, Meavian was unable to hold her own head up. They were advised that this was not so uncommon. However, by the time she reached one year old, and was still unable to walk or hold her head up, her parents decided to seek treatment. They visited a local hospital where Meavian was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excessive fluid builds up in the brain. From there, she was referred to our medical partner's care center, BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital (BKKH). On July 6, Meavian will undergo brain surgery to insert a shunt to drain the fluid from her brain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is asking for $685 to cover the cost of her surgery. Meavian's parents appreciate all the help of the donors, and look forward to their daughter's recovery!

Santos is a 29-year-old husband and father who lives with his wife and daughter in rural Guatemala. He has cataracts, a condition in which the normally clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy. His condition makes it difficult for him to see, and his vision is becoming worse over time. Until recently, Santos worked in the fields, but his failing eyesight has made it impossible for him to keep working. If left untreated, his cataracts will continue to grow, and he will eventually go blind. Thus, our medical partner has scheduled surgery for March 4. Since Santos has not been able to work, his wife has been weaving in order to add to the family’s income. Santos is unable to afford surgery without outside help. For this reason, our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $1,500 to fund the surgery. The treatment will include further evaluation from an eye specialist, surgery to remove his cataracts, a post-op follow-up treatment, and transportation throughout his treatment process. The surgery will positively impact Santos’s life for years to come by allowing him to provide for his family and see his daughter grow up. "My wife and I are very happy, because, God willing, I will be able to see and therefore continue to take care of my family," says Santos. "Thanks very much to you all for the help."

Rakith is a 22-year-old man from Cambodia who loves to play music and sing songs. In fact, Rakith has shaped his life around this passion—he is a professional DJ. Having a job that relies so heavily on listening has made Rakith’s current medical condition especially difficult. When he was five years old, Rakith had an infection in his left ear that went untreated. He developed a cholesteatoma, an atypical skin growth in the bone behind the eardrum. Although non-cancerous, the cholesteatoma has caused Rakith significant problems. He now experiences hearing loss and ringing or buzzing in the ear. Rakith traveled two hours to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, where he was told his hearing problems can be fixed with a mastoidectomy. When Rakith undergoes this operation on February 8, surgeons will remove part of his ear’s mastoid bone so that they can remove the cholesteatoma. When the growth is gone, Rakith’s hearing will improve. Rakith and his wife cannot afford to pay for this treatment on their own. For $842, we can fund the procedure he needs, as well as the lab tests and two-day hospital stay necessary to ensure he recovers safely.

Baby Oliver lives with his family in rural Guatemala. He is the sixth child in his family. Oliver has been diagnosed with severe stunting as result of malnutrition. He is small and underweight for his age and is often sick with fevers. His parents are worried about Oliver's health, but cannot afford to pay for his treatment. Fortunately, our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), has enrolled Oliver in a treatment program, which will begin on April 26. Oliver will receive food and micronutrient supplements, and his growth will be monitored closely. WK has also arranged for a community health worker to teach Oliver's parents how to create nutrient-rich meals for their son. With just $492, we can help support Oliver's recovery and give him the chance to grow up into a strong and healthy boy!

Melanie is an eight-month-old girl living in a bamboo house with her parents. Melanie's father is a motorcycle driver. Melanie has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens her growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, she will begin $268 malnutrition treatment on February 22. Melanie will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s home-based feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Her mother says, "My dream for Melanie is for her to finish studies."

Pamera is a 38-year-old woman from Uganda. She lives with her husband, Bernard, and they both work as small farmers growing cassava, beans, maize, and vegetables. In addition to farming, they grow and sell tea to help support their children's education. Pamera enjoys attending church and teaching her children to pray. In her spare time, Pamera likes to listen to music on the radio. Pamera is pregnant and expecting her sixth child. Because of her age, the number of children she has had, and her previous C-section, her doctors consider her pregnancy to be high-risk. They recommend that she receive medical attention before, during, and after labor to ensure a safe delivery. On April 29, she will begin to receive supplements and attend antenatal checkups and health education classes. She will deliver her baby in the hospital, and she will undergo a C-section if necessary. After birth, Pamera and her baby will be monitored by the hospital staff. After her delivery, Pamera is looking forward to nursing her baby and returning to work as a farmer. She would like to thank all her donors for their help.

Srey Touch is 16 years old and in the ninth grade. She has two sisters and three brothers. She likes to cook and read her school books in her free time. In November 2015, Srey Touch was in a motorbike accident, which caused a fracture to her left tibia and a wound in her left foot. She went to a local hospital for treatment of her fracture. During her stay, she developed ischemia, inadequate blood supply to part of the body. Her doctors recommended an above-knee amputation, but Srey Touch refused. Due to the lack of blood supply, Srey Touch has developed an infection in her left foot, making it difficult for her to walk or go to school on her own. She traveled for six hours with her father to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, (CSC). On February 7, surgeons will remove the damaged and infected tissue from her left leg, which will allow her to walk easily again. Our medical partner is requesting $450 to fund this procedure.