Charlin is a two-year-old girl from Philippines. She lives with her parents, who both work as farmers. Charlin was diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition, a condition in which she does not receive the proper nutrients needed to sustain a healthy, growing body. Beginning on February 22, Charlin will receive at-home treatment from our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). ICM’s home-based feeding program will provide Charlin with nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure she regains normal weight and achieves optimum physical and mental development. To help sustain Charlin's health, ICM's professional staff will educate her mother on proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Our medical partner is asking for $184 in funds to cover Charlin's treatment. "I hope my daughter will grow up healthy...and will recover from malnutrition," says Charlin's mother.

Nitesh is an 11-year-old boy in the fourth grade who lives with his parents in Nepal. About a week ago, Nitesh developed an abscess on his left side of neck. Initial attempts to treat the wound with herbal medicines did not help. Since then, the wound has swelled and become too painful to tolerate. As a result, Nitesh and his family decided to visit our medical partner's care center in search of help. Nitesh is currently scheduled to undergo a minor incision and drainage procedure on February 5 to remove the abscess. As his parents cannot afford the costs of the operation, our medical partner, Possible, is now requesting $157 in funding. Nitesh's father says, "I am worried about Nitesh and wish his treatment happens soon."

Aye Than is a 45-year-old Burmese woman. She lives with her mother and siblings in a village close to the Thai-Burma border. At the age of 40, Aye Than started experiencing frequent headaches and a stiff neck. For five years, she treated her symptoms with medication from a local pharmacy. Recently, Aye Than was picking up a bucket of rainwater when she started to feel dizzy and could no longer stand. She sat down to rest, but she found she could no longer open her left eye. After several visits to different hospitals, she was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Through BCMF, Aye Than was transferred to Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. She underwent several diagnostic tests, including two CT scans––[one](https://watsi.org/profile/17128140c65d-aye-than) of which was funded by Watsi donors. The results of her tests showed an arteriovenous malformation with a proximal flow-related aneurysm and a fistula. In simpler terms, there was an aneurysm in Aye Than's brain. With this finding, her doctor performed an embolisation procedure on December 14. During this procedure, blood vessels were selectively blocked to treat her condition. Now, BCMF is requesting $1,500 in funding. “I am looking forward to getting better, so I can continue to work with my mother and resume my Buddhist practices: meditation, going to the monastery on full moon days, and maintaining the alter in my home," says Aye Than. She continues, "Without the donors, there was no chance for me to be treated properly. Thank you very much for your help."

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."

Meet Fadumo, an 18-year-old girl from Somalia. She is the first-born of nine children. Eight years ago, Fadumo was milking her father's goat when she sustained a head injury. Since then, frequent seizures, headaches, and medical travel have caused her difficulty in school. She cannot bend over to perform household tasks. Fadumo has visited several hospitals in Addis Ababa and Hargesia without success. At one point, she was even told that there are no treatment plans for girls in Africa. Finally, a missionary referred Fadumo to our medical partner's hospital in Kenya, AIC Kijabe Hospital. Fadumo and her father journeyed to Kenya, where they stayed with a host family of the same religion. Fadumo learned that she had a mucocele, or a mucus-filled mass, in her sinus. Without treatment, the mucocele would increase in size, putting Fadumo at risk of vision loss. She would also continue to experience seizures and headaches. Fortunately, on October 25, 2016, doctors performed a craniotomy to remove the mucocele. Fadumo’s father teaches religion, and her mother is a housewife. The family lives in traditional Somali temporary houses. They are unable to pay for Fadumo's $1,495 treatment––which includes surgical costs, medications, and hospital stay––so they need our help. “I want to be well to provide for my parents and get a quality education to help needy people at home," says Fadumo.

Kalyegira is a 76-year-old tailor from Uganda. He is married and the father of nine. His children are all adults and married, taking care of their own families. He is a tailor, but has not been able to work since he became sick. Kalyegira's wife owns a small retail shop where she sells items such as soap, salt, and sugar. They are now depending on the little money his wife gets from this shop. Kalyegira started feeling pain and later developed a swelling in his right inguinal (groin) area six months ago. Due to the pain, he is unable to lift heavy items, do tailoring, or pull his goats to grazing areas. Kalyegira visited a hospital where he was diagnosed with a right inguinal reducible hernia, a condition where part of his intestine is protruding through his inner groin area. He was advised to have surgery, but he can't to pay for it. If not treated, the hernia could become stuck leading to damage to the intestine or even the stomach. $249 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Kalyegira needs. After surgery he hopes to regain his strength and resume tailoring so that he can help support his family.

Sainy is a six-year-old boy from Cambodia, currently in first grade. He has one brother, and enjoys staying at home and working on his writing homework and playing with neighboring children. Sainy's left patella (kneecap) dislocated when he was three years old as result of a poorly administered thigh injection. It is difficult for him to walk and he experiences pain when walking long distances. After traveling for three hours with his mom to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he will receive the treatment he needs to walk comfortably again. Surgeons at CSC will surgically realign his patella by reconstructing the ligaments that hold the kneecap in place. The surgery and a two-day recovery in the hospital will cost $392. Let's help make it possible!

Less than one month old, Sabbath is the youngest of five children in his family in Kenya. He was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which several vertebrae in the lower back do not close properly, leaving his spinal canal exposed. Sabbath has a swollen mass on his lower back. The mass—which contains a portion of his spinal cord that protrudes through the opening in his backbone—is open and leaking cerebrospinal fluid. If untreated, Sabbath is at risk of infection. In addition, he may develop a tethered cord if the exposed spinal cord attaches to other tissues in the lower back. A tethered cord can cause curvature of his spine as he grows. Sabbath’s parents were advised to seek specialized treatment for Sabbath when he was born, but they cannot afford Sabbath’s surgical care. His mother stays at home, and his father is a fisherman who earns just enough to sustain the basic needs of the family. Treatment for Sabbath is spina bifida closure surgery. Doctors will place the spinal cord and nerves back inside the backbone and cover them with membranes before closing the opening on Sabbath's back. $805 pays for Sabbath's surgery. Funding also covers the costs of a five-day hospital stay, three days of physical therapy, imaging, lab work, and medicine. A well-wisher offered to pay for the family's transportation to BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital for the surgery. Sabbath's mother looks forward to a successful surgery for her son. “I had to hide [him] from people in my village as they all wanted to see the swelling," she shares. "I am glad to have [come] to a place [where] he can be treated, and I am longing to see him well.”

Lae Lae is a 40-year-old woman who lives in Burma. She lives with her husband, 18-year-old daughter, 14 year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. Lae Lae first experienced gynecological symptoms in September of 2014. Her present symptoms include pain in the abdomen, back and lower body. She is unable to work as she is easily overcome with fatigue due to lack of sleep. She also suffers from chronic hypertension and late onset diabetes. In addition, her appetite decreased, resulting in loss of weight. She is concerned about her condition as it is quite painful. She has been confirmed by ultrasound and physical examination to have a uterine mass. Lae Lae is disappointed that she cannot fulfill her chores as a mother and housewife. Her husband has taken on more of the chores such as cleaning, cooking and looking after the children. His salary is not sufficient to meet all of the family’s expenses so he occasionally borrows money from a moneylender at 20% interest. They are unable to save money or meet major medical expenses. In her intake interview, Lae Lae said: “I hope to regain my strength so I can be the mother that my family needs. If I fully recover, I have ambitious plans to buy land and open up a shop selling dry goods."

Krouss is a four-year-old boy from Haiti who was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis. One of the valves of his heart is too small to allow blood to adequately pass through. As a result, oxygen does not reach his body in sufficient quantities, leaving him sickly and weak. Krouss needs surgery to ensure he can grow up healthy, and without further complications from his heart condition. Surgeons will insert a balloon inside the valve and inflate it to stretch the valve open. Depending on the result, he may or may not then need an open-heart procedure. The treatment will cost $6,500, however Health City Cayman Islands has subsidized part of the treatment. Through Watsi, $1,500 will cover the cost of overseas preparation and transportation for Krouss and one parent as the surgery will be performed in the Cayman Islands. Krouss lives with his mother and father, and he is their first child. His father is a security guard and his mother sells goods in the local market. He is a very intelligent boy and has already learned to read, and is looking forward to starting school next year. "I am most excited about getting to go on a plane ride," Krouss shared excitedly.

“Ivan was born on April 14, 2016 and he is the first child to his parents,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. “Ivan was born with multiple deformities: clubfoot, a lesion on his lower back, as well as water in his head. He is at risk of easily contracting infections through the lesion, and too much intracranial pressure will cause him to lose his ability to see if not treated." “Other than the anomalies he has, Ivan is doing well. His parents were expecting a healthy baby, but now that their baby is born with multiple deformities they want him to get the right treatment. Ivan’s mother is a homemaker and his father is a small scale farmer. Ivan’s father is the first born to his parents and the one whom his parents and siblings are looking up to for support. Apart from supporting his parents, he is also paying for two of his siblings to go to school. With so many responsibilities, the little that he earns is not enough to cover the cost of surgery which his son badly needs." Ivan needs surgery to close the defect in his spinal canal, and drain the excess fluid in his head. This procedure will cost $1,200. "Successful treatment will save Ivan’s eyesight and with long term physical exercises, Ivan will be able to walk." “Education is all that I can give to my son for him to live a better and independent life when he grows up. All I hope is for him to get well and everything else will follow,” shares Ivan’s father.

Meet Baston, a carefree and talkative three-year-old boy from Tanzania. Since birth, Baston has lived with unilateral clubfoot, where his right foot is turned inward. He uses the lateral part of his foot to walk, which has affected his gait. "He will be at risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age if untreated," reports the staff at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. "Despite his condition, Baston likes to walk and run around with other children." Baston started clubfoot treatment when he was 18 months old. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the treatment left Baston's village, and his family was unable to afford care at a different hospital. Baston's mother cares for the children at home and owns a kiosk where she sells drinks, while his father farms peanuts and maize. Baston will need to undergo further treatment to fix his clubfoot. Treatment will consist of stretching and manipulating the foot into the correct position, followed by casting, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. After four months, Baston will no longer use the lateral part of his foot to walk. $1,160 will cover the cost of the treatment and four-month rehabilitation stay. "He will have better gait and reduced risk of developing osteoarthritis," AMHF explains. "I love my little brother very much, we all do," Baston's older sister shared at their pre-operative interview. "I will be happy to see him able to walk like we do."