“I hope my eyes can see more clearly,” says Yern. “It will be easier to help my family by cooking and cleaning, and go for walks by myself too.” Meet Yern, a 69-year-old woman from Cambodia. Yern has six children and 16 grandchildren. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Center (CSC), shares, “Yern enjoys visiting the pagoda in her free time to listen to the monks pray.” One year ago, Yern developed cataracts in both eyes. A cataract is a clouding of the lens that is most commonly due to aging. According to CSC, Yern is experiencing “blurred vision, burning, and tearing.” She and her son traveled four hours to visit CSC with hopes of restoring her vision. For $225, Yern will undergo small incision cataract surgery in both eyes. The surgeon will remove the clouded natural lens of the eye and implant an artificial lens in its place. She will be able to see clearly after the surgery. Yern’s son shares, “I hope my mother can see clearly again so she can go for walks by herself and I won’t have to worry.”

A married mother of two from Uganda, 21-year-old Alituha is expecting her third child and is in need of a caesarean section. Her first two children were delivered via C-Section and if her third isn’t as well, she will be at risk for serious complications including a ruptured uterus. Alituha needs financial support to guarantee a safe delivery. Alituha’s husband is a farmer and she works in a salon, but earns very little money. At this stage in her pregnancy, she is not even able to fetch water for her family. $270 will provide the proper care for Alituha. For some time she was unsure of where she would find help and thus is very grateful for the Watsi program. Upon the birth of her third child, Alituha hopes to open her own salon and save enough money to send all three of her children to school. “Thank you for bringing us help. God bless your generosity,” shares Alituha.

“Akatukunda is in the midst of her second pregnancy,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “During her first pregnancy, she was operated on, but unfortunately lost her baby. The doctors operated on her because she had a contracted pelvis. The situation was made worse because she delayed going to the hospital.” Akatukunda and her husband are hoping for the safe delivery of a healthy baby. Because of the previous complications, however, an elective caesarean section is necessary. A C-section is used to deliver a baby through incisions in the mother’s abdomen and uterus. Without it, doctors worry that Akatukunda’s uterus may rupture, endangering both her and her baby. Akatukunda is a married 22-year-old from Uganda. She is a peasant and her husband works casual jobs as a mason; thus, neither earn enough to afford the surgery on which Akatukunda depends. $160 will cover Akatukunda’s C-section as well as medication, laboratory work, and her four-day hospital stay. With our help and these costs taken care of, Akatukunda and her husband will be able to welcome their child to the family with less financial stress and no fear of complications during the delivery. “I pray for a successful surgery so that I get to hold my child,” shares Akatukunda.

Atuhaire is a 27-year-old student who lives with her parents and siblings in Uganda. She came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), seeking treatment for a lipoma on her buttocks. Lipomas are benign, fatty tumors that grow between the skin and underlying layer of muscle. They can occur anywhere on the body, and they are generally small but can grow to greater than 10 centimeters in diameter. Lipomas can be painful if they press on nearby nerves or have numerous blood vessels. While their cause is unknown, they tend to run in families. “The pain Atuhaire has on her buttocks cannot allow her to concentrate in class or study,” explains AMHF. “She cannot sit properly, and when it’s hot, the pain is more severe, and she even gets palpitations across the whole back. Sometimes, the lipoma oozes out some pus.” Atuhaire’s parents barely earn enough money to provide for their family and pay school fees for Atuhaire. They cannot afford to pay for the medical care that Atuhaire needs to treat the lipoma. For $120, Atuhaire will undergo surgery to remove the lipoma from her buttocks. Funding also covers the cost of three days of hospital care, including lab work and medicine. “After a mass excision, Atuhaire will be relieved from the pain,” says AMHF. “I hope that after the surgery, I will be fine and able to sit well in class and concentrate,” shares Atuhaire.

“I hope after surgery she will be able to walk normally,” shares the father of Liza, an 11-month-old girl living in Cambodia. Liza was born with clubfoot (congenital talipes equinovarus) of her right foot. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, states that although Liza has had numerous treatments at her local hospital to cast her foot, her condition has not improved. Due to her leg deformity, Liza is unable to walk properly and her father has a hard time taking care of her. With the aid of $266 for clubfoot repair surgery, Liza’s father hopes that she can continue to do the things that she loves, such as playing with her dolls, toy cars, and watching Tom and Jerry cartoons.

When Maxwell’s mother was changing his diaper in a local clinic, another mother noticed that Maxwell’s testes seemed smaller in comparison to her son’s. Although the local doctor believed that Maxwell’s testes would descend in time, Maxwell is now two years old and only one of his testes has descended. According to our partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Maxwell’s undescended testicle could cause a hernia, cancer, and infertility if left untreated. Following Maxwell’s diagnosis, Maxwell’s mother fell ill and was bed ridden as a result of spinal complications. Unfortunately, that meant that all of the funds set aside for Maxwell’s operation were used on her treatment instead. Maxwell needs an orchidopexy, an operation where undescended testes are placed in the scrotum. This procedure will cost $540. “This has been a long journey for me and my family. I have been sick for quite some time and we are just picking ourselves up. Please help my son get treated,” Maxwell’s mother says.

Walfred is a baby boy who lives with his family in Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us, “When we visited Walfred at his house, he was suffering from chronic diarrhea and a cough. His mother knew he was not growing well and was extremely happy when we arrived because her neighbor had mentioned that we could be of help.” “When we weighed and measured Walfred, it became apparent that he is suffering from acute malnutrition," WK reports. "Walfred’s mom was embarrassed to tell us that she has been feeding him diluted powdered cow’s milk and sugar water. She told us that she didn’t know what else do when she realized she was unable to produce breast milk, and they didn’t have enough money to afford formula.” Walfred’s family does not have easy access to clean water, so not only is Walfred not receiving sufficient nutrients and antibodies, but he also has a parasitic infection. WK elaborates, “Walfred is the youngest of 10 children. His father is a sharecropper and does not own land. He has been worried about providing for his family for a long time, and is extremely happy to start working with us. Walfred’s siblings love him, and like to carry him on their backs while they do other chores around the house. The family is well known and respected in the community.” With $1,220 in funding, WK will provide nutrition education, formula supplementation, and deworming medication for Walfred and his mother. WK reports, “Treating lactation failure is easy and effective. Formula supplementation promotes normal physical and mental development and gives the child the chance to reach their full growth potential. Nutrition education provides the mother with the skills she needs to ensure her child’s healthy growth and development.” Walfred’s mother shares, “I am so thankful that you sought me out.” Let’s help Walfred regain his health and reach his developmental milestones!