Samoeurn is a 71-year-old retired teacher from Cambodia. He has four sons, two daughters, and 10 grandchildren. He retired around 20 years ago. He likes to read books and teach his grandchildren how to read Khmer literature. Samoeurn also enjoys watching boxing on TV. Four years ago, Samoeurn developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Samoeurn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two and a half hours to seek treatment. On June 29, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. The procedure will cost $229 and he needs your help to fund his surgery. Samoeurn shared, "I hope that I will recover my vision. Then, I can look after my grandchildren at home, plant some vegetables for food, and go anywhere outside by myself."

Toeur is the sixth of seven children in his family, including four brothers and three sisters. He likes to stay home and help around the house and cook, as well as watch television and listen to music. Toeur was born with a hump on his spine and, at the age of two, he fell down the stairs and has since had a curve in his spine. He has pain in his right knee and experiences paraparesis, where he has partial paralysis in his legs and requires crutches when he walks. He cannot do any heavy work and stays near his house most days. Spinal surgery will correct Toeur's spine position and relieve his symptoms. He will be able to walk comfortably again, and will be able to take on daily activities with greater ease. He shared, "My family worries about my pain a lot, and they hope that I will be able to work again and help provide for the family. I hope that my spine will be straight and will no longer have a curve, and I won't have anymore pain in my knee so I can return to work."

Elias is a young student from Kenya and is a happy young boy. He is the second-born child in a family of three children. He is currently in 4th grade and aspires to be an engineer in the future. Elias was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Elias has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. However, treatment is costly for Elias's family. Both of his parents are labourers who depend on manual jobs to feed their family. His mother washes clothes, and his father works in construction sites. They both lack a stable income since the jobs and payments depend on the availability of work. There are times when they go without work for several days. Elias will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo an orchidopexy, which is a corrective surgery, on November 12th. AMHF is requesting $754 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Elias shared, “I want to study hard and become an engineer when I grow up. For now, the doctors told me that I needed to get treatment to help me grow into a healthy man."

Vutha is a 21-month-old boy from Cambodia. He enjoys playing with his two older brothers, watching cartoons on television, and going to the market with his mother. When Vutha was eleven months old, he accidentally came into contact with fire and burned his right hand. He is unable to open his hands and flex them properly, and cannot hold onto anything. When Vutha's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for four hours seeking treatment. On December 23rd, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to to help him use hand again. Now, he needs help to fund this $448 procedure. "I hope my son recovers well after his surgery and is able to move his hand and fingers again." -Vutha's Mother

Su is 14-year-old girl from Thailand. She lives with her parents in a village in Take Province, Thailand. After Su completed grade five she was unable to continue her schooling since there are no middle or high schools in their area and her parents could not afford to send her to school in nearby Burma. Today she and her parents are agricultural day laborers, each earning 150 baht (approx. 5 USD) per day. In the past, they used to have enough work but for the past four months they are not able to work as much as they would like to. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on the number of people who can gather, employers are only able to hire five to seven workers in a day. To ensure that everyone has a chance to work in their community, all the day laborers take turns working in a week. Around April or May 2020, Su noticed that she was not feeling well. When she explained how she felt to her mother, she was reassured that this was normal. However, around September 15th, Su started to suffer from terrible lower back and abdominal pain. When she went to Mae Tao Clinic she received an ultrasound which indicated a mass in her uterus. She was then referred to Mae Sot Hospital where she received another ultrasound and physical examination. The doctor then confirmed there was a growing mass in her uterus. The doctor told her they will be able to remove the mass with surgery. Su sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on October 1st and is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once she recovers, Su hopes to help her parents out financially. “I will go back to work with my mother and I will save money,” she said. “I will build my parents a new house on our land in Burma. I will also learn to sew and do that [becoming a seamstress] for the rest of my life in my own shop."

Josephine shared that she has been struggling with chronic lower back pains for 7 years. She has been under medication and physiotherapy, but without improvement. Doctors recommend a Lumbar Discectomy Surgery to avert the possible advance effects of the condition, which could affect her backbone and the spinal cord. If not treated, Josephine risks having prolonged pains, numbness, and loss of muscle strength that can result in paralysis. Josephine's back problems started in November 2012 while she was doing her laundry. She felt clicking sound on her lower back accompanied by sharp pains. She visited a nearby hospital for treatment. Josephine was put on physiotherapy and pain medication. For the last 7 years, she has been visiting different health facilities but her condition keeps deteriorating. Josephine was referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Kijabe Hospital by a friend who had received the same treatment in the facility. Josephine doesn’t have a source of income. She is a full time housewife who has dedicated all her time to raising their three children aged between 4-13 years, and taking care of her family. They live in a two-roomed house that costs $30 per month. Her husband is a lorry driver and their family depends on his sole source of income to pay rent, school fees, medical expenses, and for survival. Josephine depends on her husband’s medical cover where she is listed as a beneficiary. Several trips to different hospital has depleted their coverage and family’s little resources. They have been also been relying in the the national health insurance fund which can cover only part of the total cost of the surgery and treatment. She is appealing for financial aid to support the remaining cost of $1,500. Josephine says, “I have lived with this pain for long but it’s now becoming unbearable. I need this surgery and treatment to get my life back to normal again."

Maxwell is a 3-year-old from Kenya. He is an only child, his father owns a small butchery, and his mother is a stay-at-home mom. Maxwell was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Fortunately, Maxwell is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on June 23. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $770 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “It will be a great joy to see Maxwell’s condition fully treated,” shared Maxwell's mother.

Char is a 28-year-old man who lives with his grandmother, wife, and daughter in a town in Tak Province, Thailand. Char moved to Thailand with this grandparents when he was eight years old, after his mother passed away. Char’s grandfather passed away eight years ago and now his grandmother is retired. Char used to sell fruits in the market but stopped working last year because of his condition. Char’s wife works as domestic worker and earns 4,500 baht (approx. $150) per month. His daughter is a student. Their monthly income is just enough to cover their daily expenses but they cannot save money or pay for basic health care. In April of 2019 Char was driving his motorcycle to work when suddenly a car driving on the wrong side of the road hit his motorcycle head on. He was flung from his motorcycle and knocked unconscious. The crowed who witnessed his accident called an ambulance, that brought him to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH). Soon after Char was brought to MSH, he received surgery to insert a metal rod into his right lower leg, as the doctor found that both his bones in that leg were fractured. During his follow-up appointment, he received an x-ray and was told that he would need to receive a bone graft. However, since Char has been unable to work since his accident, he had used up his savings to pay for his initial treatment and hospitalization. Unable to afford the surgery, Char refused treatment and returned home. Unfortunately, he recently fell through the wooden stairs in his home, causing the rod in his leg to bend. His doctors have shared that he needs surgery to replace the rod in his leg. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), can help. The surgery costs $1,500 and now, they are asking for your help to fund this life-changing surgery. Char shared, "I feel too uncomfortable to sleep [at night] and sometimes, I cry because of the pain. I want to get better soon so that I can help my family [financially].”

Milton is a 19-month-old baby from Kenya. He is the fifth and last-born child his parents. Both of his parents are maize farmers in the hills of Mount Elgon in Kenya. The family stays in two-roomed mud house with iron roofing. They are a hardworking family that has seen all their children go to school but are still struggling financially due to low income that cannot gather for all demands and needs for their family. Since August last year, Milton has had an inguinal hernia. This hernia causes him pain and if not treated, it may result in tissue damage and longer-term complications. Fortunately, on May 21th, he will undergo repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $422 to fund Milton's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. Milton’s mother shared: “My hope is to see my son get treated and be well again.”

John is a casual laborer from Kenya and the oldest of three children in his family with a single mother. John is currenrtly unemployed and previously he did some casual work at a bus stage: to help fill passengers for a small daily wage. His mother does casual work like cleaning clothes for neighbors and any other job available. On 4th April 2019 John was hit by a vehicle that lost control and met him on the side of the road. He sustained injuries to both legs. He was taken to a nearby hospital and x-rays showed he had closed fracture head of femur left leg and open fracture right tibia. Through the earlier support of friends and neighbors, he had an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery on the left side and external fixator on his right leg. Unfortunately even after the wound was healed his family could not afford another ORIF surgery which is much needed. Doctors are concerned that if not treated soon, John may get sepsis in his bones and may never be able to use his legs again. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 5th, John will undergo an ORIF fracture repair procedure. We hope with treatment, he will regain normal use of his legs and that an infection will also be avoided. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $998 to fund this procedure. “I have suffered a whole year in bed and pain that seems to have no end. I really plead for support and God will bless you. I can’t imagine seeing these metal bars removed from my leg and walking again, even if by crutches,” says John.

Agatha is a peasant farmer from Kenya. She is a mother of five children. Together with her husband, they tend to their small ancestral land to provide for their children. She noted a small lump on her left breast in January 2020. The lump did not go away and she thought of visiting the hospital. She went to two facilities where she had mammogram and FNA tests done. That was followed up with a biopsy and she had a cancer diagnosis. Agatha decided to come to Watsi's Medical Partner's Kijabe Hospital where doctors have advised that she needs a mastectomy. With the right and timely treatment, Agatha will be out of risk of cancer metastasis. 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. Agatha has now registered for the national insurance scheme, but it is not yet available. Their monthly income is negligible to meet the cost of surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $816 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Agatha. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 30th. After treatment, Agatha will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Agatha says, “My prayer is to be free from this cancer problem. I am hopeful that the treatment will be a success.”