Meet Ana, a 23-month-old girl from Guatemala. Ana and her four siblings live in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof in a rural mountainous community. She loves to play with her doll with her older siblings, and sing to her little brother. Her parents are farmers, and they cultivate cabbage, cauliflower, and green beans which they sell at the market, and eat what does not sell. Although her parents work hard, they do not make enough money to support a healthy diet for Ana and need support to help her get well—they cannot afford to give her even one egg or piece of fruit per day. Ana is not growing like she should because she has acute malnutrition. She is nearly three and a half standard deviations below the normal size for her age. This is because she has not had access to a healthy diet—her body has not gotten the protein, calories and nutrients that it needs to grow normally. Her energy is low, she has little appetite, and she has been getting sick more often than the other kids that live in the neighborhood—in the past two weeks alone she has had a fever and cough. Diarrhea, cough, and fevers can be life-threatening for children like Ana, whose immune systems are weak due to their poor diet. Her mother is worried about her, since she has noticed that she is not growing as well as her older kids. In the long term, Ana could be at risk of stunted neurodevelopment, behavioral problems, and a greater risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Ana gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age. All of this can be accomplished with treatment, which costs $512. Treating her now will have a large impact—she will likely be able to reach developmental milestones just like healthy kids her age. This treatment will strengthen her immune system, increase her overall caloric intake, and allow her to have more energy to play and learn. Her parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give her the diet she needs to grow and develop--they will receive intense and motivational nutrition classes to learn what, when, and how to feed Ana the best diet possible. This will help her start to develop better both physically and mentally, giving her the chance to live a healthy and productive life, escaping the cycle of malnutrition that is making her sick. "I hope that one day she can graduate and become a teacher," Ana's mother shared.

Linet is a three-year-old girl from Tanzania who was born with unilateral clubfoot. "She uses the lateral aspect of her left foot for walking, which has affected her gait," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), reports. Clubfoot is a developmental disorder characterized by an inward turned foot, due to short tendons connecting the tissues to the bones. Though difficult for her to walk, Linet loves to play with toys and the other children in her village. "She is a serious little girl, but when around other children she has a beautiful smile," AMHF shares. To treat her condition, Linet will undergo a tenotomy surgery to release the overly tight tendon. She will then receive a cast to realign the foot and ankle joint. Without treatment, Linet is at risk of developing early onset osteoarthiritis. The treatment, plus a four month stay in the Plaster House rehabilitation center, will cost $1,160. After treatment, "Linet's gait will improve and the risk of developing osteoarthiritis will decrease," AMHF explains. "All I hope for is that my daughter will have the ability to walk properly," Linet's mother shares with us.

Astania is two months old and lives in Haiti with her parents and four older siblings. She was born with a heart condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. "Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen," our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) shares. "This leaves her feeling sick and weak." Astania’s father works in construction, and her mother sells rice in a marketplace. Although they work hard, they cannot afford the heart surgery that their daughter needs. Her mother told HCA that “Astania has been sick ever since she was born,” and she is “very happy that [Astania] can have her surgery.” $1,500 will fund preparation and overseas transportation costs for Astania's surgery, which is also being funded with a subsidy of $5,000 from Gift of Life International. "A successful surgery will restore normal blood flow to Astania’s heart, and she will not have any further symptoms," HCA adds.

Meet Jose, a three-year-old boy from Guatemala. Jose was adopted when he was a baby by his loving adoptive parents. “Norma, Jose’s adopted mother, was married for years but could never have kids since she had to have a hysterectomy when she was a teenager," shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). "Norma was thrilled to be able to take Jose in, and has been very happy with him.” Over time though, Norma began to notice that Jose was not developing at the same rate as other children. “Jose is suffering from severe developmental delays and seizures due to congenital hydrocephalus. He was diagnosed when he was one-year-old when he first started to have seizures, but his family has not been able to afford therapy or medications for him,” WK tells us. As of now, Jose can move his hands and hold a ball over his head, but he is having trouble sleeping and has seizures almost everyday. “Since Jose needs constant supervision, his mom has not been able to work, which makes it hard for their family to afford basic necessities,” shares WK. Treatment for Jose costs $1,385, which consists of a full medical workup to clarify his diagnosis, medications for his seizures, intensive physical therapy, and social support for the family. WK shares that these efforts will "help lessen the economic stress that the family has been under with his condition, since all imaging, medications, physical therapy, and medical visits will be included free of charge for them. This treatment will give Jose the chance to become much more independent, mobile, and will decrease the frequency of his seizures…helping Jose reach his full potential, and help to work through the stigma of his developmental delay.” Jose’s mother says that Jose is very smart and she cannot wait for him to start therapy. "My dream is to see my son walk and run," says his mother.

This little guy is Biskut, an eight-month-old boy from Ethiopia. "Biskut was born with an open anus and he suffered from bowel obstruction as a newborn," explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "He survived after the colostomy he received when he was a week old, and since that time he has recovered from both the obstruction and the surgery itself." Due to his anorectal malformation, Biskut has been passing stool through his colostomy bag ever since the first procedure. Because colostomy bags only work as temporary solutions, this has caused some health complications for Biskut and has made life difficult for his parents, both of whom are young subsistence farmers. For $1,500, AMHF will surgically create a new anus for Biskut, allowing him to pass stool normally. This procedure will make life easier on Biskut and his parents. "Biskut is happy little one, apart from his colostomy problem," AMHF shares. "Right now his parents have no specific future dream except that their child gets well."

Meet Josias, a 10-month-old baby boy from Guatemala with acute malnutrition. According to our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), “Josias is far below the average height for his age and weight for his age. He is slow to develop milestones and at 10 months he cannot sit by himself, say any words at all, crawl or walk.” “Josias has low energy and his family just simply does not have enough money to buy him nutrient-rich food," WK adds. "Without intervention his weight and height will continue to fall away from the growth curve and he will be at risk of the long term effects of malnutrition.” To support their family, Josias’ father works as a day laborer, while his mother weaves fabric to sell. However, their combined income is not enough to afford the medical care that Josias needs. In indigenous Mayan communities like Josias', rates of malnutrition are some of the highest in the world. In the majority of cases, this condition is linked with limited education and regional food insecurity. For $535, Josias will be treated for acute malnutrition. During a three-month period, micronutrient food supplements will be added into his diet, gradually returning him to healthy nutrient levels. Josias’ mother will also take part in an intensive nutrition education, equipping her with the skills and knowledge to care for Josias’ nutritional needs as he continues to develop. WK states, “This treatment will provide Josias with micronutrient and food supplementation as well as medication to stop infections and improve his state of malnutrition. He will start to recoup the height and weight he has lost and his immune system will improve. He will decrease his risk of chronic disease in adulthood, and will have more energy to concentrate and succeed in school.” Josias’ mother expresses, “I just want him to be healthy and strong and be able to study one day.”