“My dream for my son is that he grows well and is healthy like other kids,” shares Angel's mother. Angel is a seven-month-old boy from Guatemala who currently lives with acute malnutrition. “Angel is far below the average height and the average weight for his age. If intervention does not occur he will be at risk for the long-term effects of malnutrition and his immune system will continue to weaken, putting him in a very sensitive health state,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). “When Angel gets sick, his oldest siblings stays home from school to care for him, because his mother and father have to work during the day. This takes away from Angel’s siblings’ ability to learn, thrive, and work towards a better future.” Indigenous Guatemalans are one of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the world. They live in rural areas and suffer from high rates of food insecurity. The poorest indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of growth stunting in the world. “Angel lives with his 7 siblings in a simple adobe house in a rural village. His family is extremely poor and cannot afford medical attention for Angel,” adds WK. $512 funds a multifaceted intervention for Angel's malnutrition. “This treatment will supply Angel with the growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication for him to recoup some of the weight and height he has lost, overcome his pneumonia, strengthen his immune system, overcome his fever and cough, and increase his overall caloric intake. His mother will receive intensive nutrition education thus building her confidence and ability to care for Angel and his siblings throughout their childhood,” explains WK.

“Thu is a 42-year-old Burmese woman who lives with her two daughters, ages 19 and nine,” our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us. “Her elder daughter is recently married and her husband lives with the family. Her youngest daughter is a student in grade three. Thu also has two sons who have moved away to start their own families.” Thus has congenital circulatory malformations and heart defects. “Thu first experienced her symptoms, which include chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure, two years ago,” BBP explains. “Prior to the onset of her symptoms, Thu and her oldest daughter worked together selling flowers in the market,” BBP continues. “Their combined income was sufficient for the family’s expenses, but Thu hasn’t been able to handle the physical activity of her work, so her daughter as assumed all work responsibilities.” Complex cardiac treatment and surgery for Thu costs $1,500 and will be performed in Thailand. Burma Children's Medical Fund, an organization that has a strong enough relationship with the relevant Thai authorities to facilitate the transportation to, and treatment of, Burmese people at Thai hospitals, is subsidizing the treatment with an additional $13,525. “Following successful treatment, Thu will be able to return to her family and recommence work so that she can contribute to the family finances,” BBP says. “If I can regain my health, our family situation will improve greatly,” shares Thu.

Mayra is a one-month-old infant from Guatemala, and the youngest of five children. "Her mother wants what is best for her daughter and four other children, but currently is struggling both financially and emotionally because she is trying to care for her five children on her own," says our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). Mayra’s mother left her husband a couple of weeks before Mayra was born due to domestic abuse. "She believes this stress caused her milk to disappear, and when Mayra was two weeks old, her mother could no longer produce any breast milk," says WK. With four mouths to feed, the mother could not afford formula for her youngest daughter and instead has resorted to feeding her baby with water with honey. "Now, Mayra's weight is decreasing and if she does not receive treatment she will not recover," continues WK. "She will be unable to build an immune system or develop normally both mentally and physically due to lack of nutrients and calories." With $1,016, Mayra will be provided with one year worth of formula. Additionally, WK will provide her mother with intensive nutrition education. Educators will coach Mayra's mother through the process of switching Mayra to solid foods when the time comes. Moreover, if Mayra gets sick while enrolled in the program, the doctors will be there to treat her illness without her family needing to stress about money or medical attention. “I want Mayra to grow well...she is still so small that I think we can change this for her,” shares Mayra’s mother. "I want to have a new life with her, one without her father, and to fight for a better life for my five children.”