Meet Murungi, an active six-year-old boy with twin siblings and loving parents. Having just started nursery school, Murungi discovered an interest in building houses. When he grows up, he hopes to build, plaster, and paint a house, much like his father who is a builder. When Murungi was two years old, his mother noticed a swelling on his belly button. She took him to hospital where she was told her son has an umbilical hernia. This can occur in many infants, where the stomach muscles do not join completely and underlying tissue can bulge out. At the time, the physician stated that there was a chance of the hernia disappearing by age four. However, Murungi is now six years old, and the swelling continues to grow. His symptoms have worsened: "I feel pain every time I eat food." If left treated, Murungi may suffer from intestinal obstruction and strangulation. $220 in funds will cover Murungi's necessary surgery and all recovery measures as provided by Watsi's medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. A surgeon will make a small incision near his belly button, remove or reposition the tissue, and stitch up the weak opening in his stomach wall. After surgery, Murungi will no longer have abdominal pain. With our help, Murungi can focus on his school happily, and his mother hopes to see her son healthy soon.

Meet Yart, a 67-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, “Yart is married with a daughter and four grandchildren. She enjoys watching Thai dramas in the afternoon.” This hobby is made more difficult by Yart’s cataracts—marked by clouding of the normally clear lenses of the eyes. “She is really worried that she will go blind because her vision is so bad,” CSC explains. “Yart cannot work at the farm and has trouble going anywhere by herself.” With $225 in funding, Yart will receive surgery to replace her current lenses with artificial ones. This procedure will restore her vision and make her life more enjoyable. CSC shares, “After surgery, Yart looks forward to going back and working on the farm, baking Khmer cakes, taking care of her grandchildren and regaining some of her independence.”

"My prayer is that I get well and my family is restored. I want to have a good relationship with my husband again," says Tabitha. Meet Tabitha, a 49-year-old woman from Kenya. Tabitha is married and a mother of two sons who are attending college. Tabitha has been diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) explains, “Tabitha first noticed a lump in her left breast late last year. She visited a local dispensary and was advised to seek care at a national referral hospital. However due to the large number of patients awaiting care at the hospital, and the pain she is experiencing, Tabitha came to [a partner hospital of AMHF] hoping for faster service." "Tabitha feels pain in her left breast and around her left shoulder. She used to sell milk but has been unable to work for the past few months," AMHF continues. “If not treated soon, the cancer could spread to other vital organs in Tabitha’s body and this could result in death.” Tabitha's husband owns a small automobile spare-parts shop and supports their children’s education and basic needs of the family. However, Tabitha and her husband have been estranged for a few years, and he will not be helping Tabitha cover the cost of treatment. “Tabitha's brothers have helped her raise some money for treatment but it is not enough. She is not able to cover the cost of treatment," AMHF shares. For $740, Tabitha will receive a mastectomy. Doctors expect that after treatment and recovery, Tabitha will be able to go back to work and live cancer-free. Let’s give Tabitha a hand in this difficult time and help her access the healthcare she needs.

Say hi to Beatrice, a friendly and hardworking 21-year-old expectant mother from Kenya. Beatrice loves to play volleyball and cook aruda, her favorite vegetable. According to our medical partner, Lwala Community Alliance (LCA), Beatrice has "given birth to two children but they died a few hours after delivery. She has been delivering at home with the help of traditional birth attendants, which she says is the main cause of death to her two children." Her husband is a roof repair contractor. With her current pregnancy, LCA says that "Beatrice feels a sharp pain in her lower abdomen that makes it difficult for her to perform day to day house chores." She has also been unable to work on the farm to provide additional food for her family. Beatrice fears that home delivery brings a lot of complications that could lead to a death of another one of her babies, but her family cannot afford delivery in a medical facility. For $290 we can make sure Beatrice will receive access to proper prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care to ensure the safe delivery of her child. Beatrice says, "I hope that my baby is born in a safe environment, healthy and immunized at birth to enable him/her to grow strong." Let’s make that hope a reality!

Meet Lilian, a 21-year-old expectant mother from Kenya! Lilian is the wife of a carpenter and the loving mother to two beautiful children. “Early this year Lilian started baking maandazi to sell in her neighborhood in order to provide for her family,” shares our medical partner Lwala Community Alliance (LCA). It is becoming more difficult for Lilian to bake because the pregnancy has caused her leg to swell and she grows tired quite frequently. Now pregnant with her third child, Lilian and her husband are excited to welcome a new baby to the family. Lilian hopes for safe delivery but her family are unable to afford the full cost of healthcare treatment because of the increasing cost of living. LCA tells us, "Watsi funded her second delivery and her child is very healthy and strong. She still hopes to be provided with a safe delivery but her family are unable to afford the full treatment cost because of the ever increasing cost of living." "I hope to deliver a healthy baby at a health facility and to continue with my bakery to sustain my family," says Lilian. For just $290, we can provide prenatal and postnatal care to give Lilian the support she needs to ensure a safe delivery. Both the baby and mother will receive high-quality healthcare during delivery, and advanced medical care should any complications arise. Let's grant Lilian the access to the health services that every mother deserves!

“I want to see her comfortable and happy playing with other children, and to live a normal life,” says the mother of this beautiful seven-year-old Agnes. Agnes and her mother live in Tanzania, where Agnes is a first grade student. She likes school, especially reading and math. She loves to sing and draw as well. When Agnes was a baby, she had her first surgery to treat the anorectal malformation she has had since birth. Agnes is unable to pass stool normally, which results in unhygienic conditions and high risk of infection. Five years after her first surgery, Agnes’ father ran away and left Agnes with her mother. He said he could not stand all the hospital visits, and was troubled by the stigma attached to his daughter’s condition. Agnes’ mother now supports the family on her own by renting a small space and running a hair salon where she braids hair; however, the income earned is not enough to cover surgery needed for Agnes to thrive. “If not treated, Agnes will be uncomfortable, prone to infections and her social life will be affected,” explain our partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation. “After surgery, the incontinence problem will be resolved, restoring Agnes’ self-confidence. Agnes will also no longer be at such high risk of infection, allowing her to smoothly continue with her education.” For $1,500, we can fund the three-stage surgery and recovery to help Agnes attend school free from risk of infection and social stigma. Let’s help Agnes continue to spend time learning, while her mother’s dream of seeing her daughter comfortable and happy comes true!

“He was okay when he was born, but now he is very bad. I wish God to save his life," says Ladouceur’s mother. Ladouceur is a sweet one-year-old from Haiti where he lives with his parents and three older siblings. Two weeks after Ladouceur was born, his family noticed the size of his head was growing abnormally and took him to a hospital where he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition causing an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain, massive head size and sun setting eyes. If left untreated, this condition can lead to brain damage, a loss in mental and physical abilities, and even death. With all they have spent on clinic visits, Ladouceur’s parents cannot afford his treatment. We can fund a successful treatment for $1,260. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, writes, “doctors will drain the excess fluid in Ladouceur’s head and prevent more fluid from accumulating. This will give him access to a healthy life.” Let’s help Ladouceur and his family by funding this surgery!

“My hope is for my daughter’s leg to be straightened so that she does not become completely disabled and dependent on other people,” shares three-year-old Naning’oi’s father. Naning’oi is a quiet and very serious three-and-a half-year-old girl who lives in Tanzania with her family. She likes to run around and play in the mud with her twin sister, whose left leg also bends inward at the knee. Naning’oi’s parents earn a seasonal income by farming and selling maize, which they use to support Naning’oi and their six other children. With the daily demands on their income, they are unable to pay for surgery to correct Naning’oi’s left genu valgum, or “knock knee.” “Naning’oi will be at high risk of developing early osteoarthritis if not treated,” report our medical partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation. “The capacity to perform daily activities effectively will also be low due to mobility restriction.” For $940 we can fund treatment for Naning’oi that will improve her gait, increase her mobility and decrease her risk of osteoarthritis. Let’s help Naning’oi continue to run and play without complication as she grows up to be the independent young lady her parents dream she will become!

Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, tells us that Jessy has a condition called hydrocephalus, which is characterized by an excess of fluid in the brain. Because of this, Jessy is unable to keep her head upright most of the time and her head is much larger than normal. Jessy is a baby girl from Malawi who lives with her mother, a small-scale businesswoman who sells tomatoes for a living. "I am very happy that my child is going for surgery, at least she has a chance of having a normal childhood after the surgery," Jessy's mother says. "I will take time off from my business to look after her until she gets better!" $992 will fund Jessy's surgery. Let’s work together and get Jessy the medical care she needs.

Meet Sona, a lovely 26-year-old woman from Cambodia. Sona enjoys Khmer pop music and embroidering in her free time. Sona currently struggles with the physical and emotional burden of having congenital ptosis -- a malformation of the upper lip. "She is ashamed of the way of her face looks and is very shy," says our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC)."[She] doesn't have the confidence to apply to better jobs than the factory job she has, so she relies on her parents for a place to live." For $290, our medical partner can surgically correct Sona's ptosis, which will change the appearance of her upper lip. She is very excited by the prospect of looking like other girls her age. Let's help Sona receive this treatment and gain confidence in herself!

“If God blesses me with a baby girl, I hope she becomes a nurse, and if blessed with a baby boy, I hope he becomes a lawyer,” Dorothy tells us, while smiling. Say hello to Dorothy, a 28-year-old pregnant woman from Kenya. “She shares all that she has with her close friends, attends church every Saturday with her family, and is a member of her church ministry, which aims to help those who are less privileged in her community,” says our medical partner, Lwala Community Alliance. Dorothy is seeking help with paying for the prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care of her baby. She is already the mother of two children and wants to ensure the health of this child as well. Currently, she experiences lower abdominal and back pain, which prevents her from doing her everyday activities: walking, and helping her husband, who is a farmer. With only $290, we can ensure that Dorothy’s child is delivered safely, thereby setting them up to grow healthy and strong. Dorothy will also be able to go back to business to cater for her family.

Meet Marlange, a sweet and gentle five-month-old baby girl from Haiti! According to our medical partner, Project Medishare (PM), "Marlange is from a family of three kids, her mother has no husband and is living with her family." Her mother sells raw food products in the street to support her children as she doesn't have anybody else to help her. The other family members “are small farmers and they all live in the countryside," explains PM. Unfortunately, Marlange has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, an ailment where excess fluid creates pressure in the head. As a result, Marlange has to deal with abnormal growth of her head, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms. According to PM, Marlange’s family “cannot pay for the treatment because they don't have the money." If untreated, Marlange could experience seizures and premature death. For $1,260, Marlange will undergo surgery to drain excess fluid from her brain and prevent further accumulation. Let’s help Marlange live a healthy and happy childhood!