Bela is an 18-month-old girl from the Philippines, who loves listening to nursery rhymes and playing with her musical toys. She lives with her older sibling, her father, who is a businessman, and her mother, who is a homemaker. Bela was born with an anorectal malformation, which is a congenital condition that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. She needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate her bowel dysfunction and help her grow up healthy. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Bela access the treatment that she needs. She is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on January 14th, at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being paid for by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is looking to you to help raise $1,211 to cover the remaining cost of Bela's procedure and care. After her recovery, Bela will no longer need a colostomy, experience bowel dysfunction, or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Bela's mother said: "As a parent, I hoped she'd have a normal life, and be free from using a colostomy bag. To be honest, a huge part of our budget goes to her colostomy supplies. So this free surgery is really a big help to our family. To WATSI and World Surgical Foundation Philippines, thank you very much! We wouldn't know how to get her treated without your support."

Meet Yanci, a two-year-old girl from Guatemala and a patient with our medical partner Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). She is the youngest of three children, and loves to play with her older brothers. "Yanci’s two older brothers are deaf, and now as she is starting to learn how to talk, her parents are seeing similar issues," explains our medical partner, WK. "She is having issues forming words and although she does respond to noises, they have to be louder than what a normal child seems to respond to." $386 funds a multifaceted intervention for Yanci's condition. "She needs testing and speech therapy now to prevent permanent damage to her ability to communicate with others," WK says. " Language therapy will give her tools to communicate, and will provide additional testing to rule out any complications that may need to be addressed." WK continues, "Her family is poor and not only can they not afford the therapy, but they cannot afford the transport to the language center. This therapy will provide Yanci tools to communicate with her family and siblings." Yanci’s mother shares, "I am so worried that she may not be able to hear. I hope this therapy will help her to communicate and help us understand how we can help her more."