Kaliinte is a 54-year-old man from Uganda. In 2014, he developed a painful swelling in his right groin. Due to the pain, he became unable to bend over or walk long distances. When Kaliinte learned about Watsi from a friend, he visited our medical partner's hospital, Holy Family Virika Hospital. He underwent a hernia repair surgery on December 7. $249 will fund all medical costs associated with Kaliinte's hernia repair. Kaliinte lives with his wife and their five children. One of his children is in secondary school, and the others are searching for jobs. He works as a carpenter to support his family. After recovery, Kaliinte hopes to continue working.

Neymar is a ten-month-old boy from Guatemala. He has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Neymar began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Neymar loves to play with his toy cars. His favorite foods are cauliflower and broccoli. He lives with his family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. His father works as a day laborer on a local plantation. He cannot afford his son's $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Neymar recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Neymar a chance to grow healthy and strong. "This program is going to help me be able to give my son the foods he needs," says Neymar's mother, "so he can grow and develop better."

Erwin is a four-month-old boy from Guatemala. He is the youngest of two children. He lives with his parents and his older sister in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. His mother takes care of him and his sister. His father works in the fields, searching for firewood to sell in their village. Erwin is still only the size of a healthy two-month-old. His mother has been unable to produce sufficient breastmilk, leaving him without the protein, calories, and nutrients he needs to grow bigger and stronger. Lactational failure can also cause delays in his cognitive and motor development. Fortunately, Erwin began nutritional supplementation on November 17. His parents are also receiving in-home motivational nutrition education. Erwin will gain weight, and his family will have tools to prevent future cases of malnutrition. Now, Erwin's family needs help to fund this $1,107 procedure. "We worry about our son not getting what he needs," says Erwin's mother. "All we want for him is to grow healthy, without any problems, and in the future to be able to study and be able to work in a good job. We are so appreciative for your help with our son."

Sharon is a 24-year-old woman from a village in Uganda, and is ready to deliver her first baby. She is a tailor, and mends clothes in her community and torn uniforms for the local school children. Her husband Nicholas is a subsistence farmer and grows bananas, maize and beans. When they need extra earnings they work as farm labors in the community. During her free time, Sharon likes going to church and visiting her friends and she has also recently started teaching tailoring skills to her neighbor. Even though she is a tailor, her income is not enough to support her hospital fees to have the C-section she needs for a safe delivery. Sharon needs a C-section because she is past due and her baby is in a breech position. For $258, she will receive the care she needs for a safe delivery. Sharon looks forward to taking care of her child and sending him/her to school when her baby turns five years old. “I wish to thank the donors that support people like me in the community to have a safe delivery. May God continue to bless you abundantly!” shared Sharon.

Leshan is a handsome six-year-old boy from Kenya. In April this year, Leshan began suffering persistent headaches. A visit to a local hospital had him diagnosed with malaria and pneumonia. Leshan received treatment for two months, but his condition worsened. Leshan, who was always the best in his class, could not keep up, and his performance drastically dropped. Eventually, his vision became blurred and his lower limbs weak. These symptoms forced Leshan to quit school early July 2016. His parents took him to a different hospital where a scan revealed that Leshan has excess fluid on his head and a tumor known as medulloblastoma. Urgent specialized treatment would be required, and Leshan was referred to Bethany Kids Hospital, a Watsi partner. Leshan's parents cannot afford the treatment he needs to remove the tumor. Leshan's father is a pastoralist while his mother is is a stay at home mom. The family lives in a traditional house in Rift Valley Kenya. Leshan is the twenty-second born in a family of twenty-seven children and the last born to his mother who has nine children. If not treated, Leshan faces the risk of increased intracranial pressure, which is likely to cause brain damage or even death. "Leshan is such a bright boy and we would like to see him back to school," his father shared. "He has a bright future ahead of him and that is what we wish for him."

Anley, a 17-month-old boy, was born in Haiti with a cardiac condition called single ventricle, in which there is no wall between the two lower chambers of the heart, resulting in one large chamber. Oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood mixes freely in this chamber, depriving his body of the oxygen it needs. If untreated, this would be fatal. Anley lives in Port-au-Prince with his mother and grandparents. He is an only child. His mother is not presently working, though hopes to do so when Anley is healthier. He is a curious and happy child, and enjoys playing with toys and especially bouncing balls. Anley will require a diagnostic catheterization followed by an open-heart surgery to partially repair the problem, and then a second surgery one to two years later to complete his treatment. For $1,500, Anley will be transported overseas to the Cayman Islands, where Health City Cayman Islands will perform his surgery, in addition to subsidizing the $15,000 surgical cost. His mother shares, "When I first heard what was wrong with Anley's heart I was very scared, but now I have faith that he will be able to be a normal boy."

Meet Nassoro, a friendly five-year-old from Tanzania who is cared for by his aunt and uncle. When he was a toddler, Nassoro was severely burned on his right elbow and wrist. This has caused a burn scar contracture, a condition in which the damaged skin pulls in and becomes inflexible. Without surgery, Nassoro will never be able to use his right arm. “Nassoro is a good boy," his aunt and uncle say. "He tries to use his right arm but it’s just not possible. We hope that something can be done to restore Nassoro’s functionality.” Nassoro's guardians can't cover the $505 required to restore movement to his arm. Let's help them out by covering the costs of surgery to allow Nassoro to use his arm normally!