Favour is an infant from Kenya. She is the youngest in a family of four children. Favour was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Favour is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,097 to cover the cost of Favour's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on October 29. This procedure will hopefully spare Favour from the risks associated with her condition, instead allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. “I look forward to seeing my daughter healthy just like her siblings,” shares Favour’s mother.

Daniel is a father of six from Malawi. He is a farmer and enjoys listening to the radio in his free time. For about one year, Daniel has been experiencing pain and urinary difficulty. These symptoms are caused by an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. He needs to undergo a prostate resection surgery, a procedure in which surgeons will remove part of the enlarged gland. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund Daniel's surgery. On November 6, he will undergo prostate surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and two weeks of hospital stay. Daniel is looking forward to being able to urinate more naturally and live a more normal life. He says, "Thank you so much for this program and I ask that you continue to support others."

Nyo is a 33-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her parents and siblings in Taung Kaung village, Kakhine State. Nyo sells snacks and is the sole provider for the family. For three years, Nyo has been experiencing troubling gynecological symptoms. She also began to experience back pain and cramps in her lower abdomen. She has been diagnosed with a uterine myoma. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Nyo's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Nyo is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on September 25. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, Nyo will be able to return home. Nyo says, “I really want to be healthy again so I can go back to work and save money."

Sok is a third grade student from Cambodia. He has two older sisters. He likes to play football, watch TV, and eat fried pork. He wants to be a teacher when he grows up. A year ago, Sok had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Sok experiences ear discharge and pain. It is difficult for him to hear and he is in chronic pain. Sok traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On September 4, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. His mother says, "I worry about my son's hearing and hope the operation is successful."

Kandewa is a 71-year-old farmer from rural Malawi. Recently, Kandewa has been experiencing difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate. He has been unable to access surgery until now and is very excited to return home, symptom free. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund surgery that will alleviate the pain caused by his enlarged prostate. This procedure is scheduled to take place on July 27, and will allow Kandewa to resume his daily activities comfortably again. Kandewa extends his thanks to the donors and to the Watsi community.

Marie-Yolande is a 44 year-old woman from Haiti. She is the mother of two children and they all live together in Port-au-Prince. In her free time, she enjoys attending church. Before her illness, Marie-Yolande worked as a street merchant. In December 2016, she began to experience a lot of pain in her breast. She went to the hospital, where she had a mammogram, multiple exams, and a biopsy. The results showed that Marie-Yolande had breast cancer. After four sessions of chemotherapy, Marie-Yolande will have a mastectomy on August 27. Our medical partner, Innovating Health International, has requested $1,085 to fund Marie-Yolande's procedure. This will cover the full cost of treatment, including a two-night hospital stay, medication, labs, radiology, physician and nurse time, and travel expenses. After her surgery, Marie-Yolande hopes to become more independent and be healthy again.

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.

Eric is a nine-year-old student from the Philippines. He lives with his parents and three siblings. When he's not in school, Eric helps his mother with household chores and likes to play with his friends in the neighborhood. Also, as the eldest of four, he is often put in charge of his younger siblings when his parents are not around. Eric has difficulty walking because he was born with bilateral clubfoot. Clubfoot refers to the internal rotation of the feet and can only be corrected surgically. In order to help Eric receive the treatment he needs, our medical partner, International Care Ministries, is requesting $1,500 to fund Eric's surgery, hospital stay, and medication. He is scheduled to undergo clubfeet correction on August 8 at our medical partner's care center, Tebow Cure Hospital. Surgeons will re-align the ligaments and tendons that are affected by his condition. "We are looking for a very good result after the operation," says Rowena, Eric's mother. "Hopefully his both feet will be corrected after the operation and he will live a normal life."

Ismael is a 55-year-old man who needs eyeglasses. Ismael lives with his family in Guatemala’s rural highlands. He has always struggled with problems with his eyesight, but could never afford to go to the doctor to get his eyes checked. One month ago, Ismael was afforded the opportunity to attend a free clinic and have his eyesight tested. At the clinic, Ismael was diagnosed with myopia, or nearsightedness. In order to fix his blurry vision and inability to see faraway objects, Ismael needs glasses. Ismael will be receiving his glasses from Intituto Panamericano, a care center of our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq. Wuqu' Kawoq is seeking $552 to fund the tests necessary to prepare Ismael's glasses, as well as the glasses themselves. His glasses will help Ismael see better, which will help him in his work and daily life. With this support, Ismael will be able to live and work easier. He says, “I am very grateful to the institution for helping us. We are many people who need help, and I hope that you can continue working to benefit other people. Thank you to the organization and the donors for this work that you do.”

Abubakar is eight months old and is the youngest in a family with two children. Abubakar and his family live in a one-room rental house in Nairobi's suburbs. His mother is a stay-at-home mom, while his father works on the assembly line at a mineral water company. At four months of age, he was diagnosed with a condition known as hydrocephalus, a condition in which an excess of fluids builds up in the skull, causing the brain to swell. Abubakar, an otherwise cheerful baby, has turned irritable due to the increased intra-cranial pressure from the fluid in his brain. If he does not get treated, he will be at risk of impaired vision, delayed development, permanent brain damage, and even death. At birth, Abubakar looked normal and was able to feed well. Four months later, his mother noticed his head growing at an abnormally fast rate compared with his body. Alarmed by this, Abubakar's parents took him for a traditional Kenyan treatment that is alleged to keep the head from growing too big. The treatment involves dipping a wooden stick in hot oil and placing it on directly on the baby's head. Abubakar went through this treatment twice. “We burnt his head severely, but it has not helped a thing,” says Abubakar’s mother. Naturally, the treatment did not stop the head from growing and only left the baby with conspicuous lesions all over the skull. At this point, Abubakar's grandmother suggested that the family seek specialized treatment. The family went to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, where they sought the advice of a neuro-specialist. The specialist recommended that Abubakar have surgery to drain the fluid from his brain. His surgery is scheduled for May 26. Abubakar's parents' combined income is barely enough to cover daily expenses, let alone any costly medical procedures. However, the family was able to raise $52 to go towards the surgery. Our medical partner is requesting $685 to help fund the surgery. After surgery, Abubakar will be able to grow normally and be free from his condition.

17-month-old Edwin lives with his family in Guatemala’s rural highlands. He loves to play with his toy car and eat beans, his favorite food. Edwin is underweight and small for his age due to malnutrition, a dangerous condition that results from consuming too little protein, calories, and nutrients. As a result, Edwin has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak. He may also face malnutrition’s long-term consequences. Edwin’s family is very worried about him, but they do not have the resources to pay the $492 needed for his malnutrition treatment. His father works as a day laborer, while his mother stays at home, taking care of the family’s household needs. Fortunately, we can help. Edwin is scheduled to begin our medical partner's treatment program on March 30. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Edwin recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet with limited resources. Edwin’s mother says, "I am grateful to the organization and the donors who worry for malnourished children in our community because our children often suffer for lack of resources."

Meet Jairun, a two-year-old girl from Tanzania. Not long ago, Jairun was burned on her hands by hot porridge. Her parents took her to get treatment in their hometown, but Jairun did not fully recover, and she cannot extend her fingers. After being referred to our medical partner, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), Jairun and her mother traveled by boat to reach their hospital. There, Jairun was evaluated and was told she could receive surgery. The family, however, cannot afford the procedure. To assist the family, CCBRT is requesting $1,036 to pay for the treatment, labor costs, Jairun's hospital stay, and her medications. She is scheduled to receive surgery for her burns on March 3. With treatment, Jairun will be able to have a full and productive life. Her mother says, "It is important to correct her fingers at this early age. I am well aware that this will affect her confidence and self esteem, especially as she grows into a young woman.”