Milka is a sweet 14-month-old girl from Kenya. She is the youngest in her family of five children. At birth, her doctor noticed that she had an abnormal condition in a sensitive area, but the hospital was unequipped to treat this condition. When Milka's sibling received treatment for a cleft lip and palate, she was brought along to our medical partner's hospital. Fortunately, Milka underwent the first of three corrective surgeries on November 25, 2016. After recovery, she should experience improved digestive function. Milka’s family lives in a two-roomed grass house on their ancestral land. Her parents are farmers, and they also work as hired laborers on neighboring farms. They need help to pay for this $1,500 treatment. “I want Milka to lead a normal life without complication," says her mother.

Shankar is a 28-year-old man from Nepal. While he was loading stones onto a truck, a large stone fell on his left leg and fractured his toe. Since then, he has been in pain and has had difficulty moving the injured foot. Shankar visited the primary health post near his village. He was diagnosed with a fractured toe and was referred to our medical partner's hospital, Bayalpata Hospital. To seek medical treatment, Shankar and his family drove for two hours to reach the hospital. He underwent a fracture repair procedure on December 23. Shankar lives with his wife and children. He is a microfinance officer, and his wife works in the field and looks after their children. They need help to fund this $541 procedure.

Three-year-old Mark lives with his parents and two siblings in a house made of bamboo. His father works as a cook, but he has difficultly providing for his family. Mark weighs less than other children his age. Mark has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. He began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 21. He is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening.

Josue is a five-year-old boy who lives with his parents and brothers. His father works in a grocery store, and his mother works at home taking care of Josue and his siblings. Josue's mother is pregnant, so he loves to talk to his mother's belly, he says he gets kicks in return. Josue is suffering from severe strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), which requires surgery to repair. Since he cannot control the direction of both of his eyes, he has double vision and a hard time with depth perception. His mother is worried that he will not be able to attend school if he does not have his strabismus repaired, and is fearful that he will never be able to read or play sports with the other kids. Although his parents work hard to give Josue the best they can, they cannot afford an expensive surgery like Josue's. $1,500 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Josue needs to correct his strabismus. This will give Josue improved vision, allowing him to be more independent. His mother will no longer have to worry if he will be able to attend school, read, or play with the other children once his strabismus is corrected. Josue's parents said, "We feel a great satisfaction to be able to get our son into surgery. We are very appreciative for the support, since it will help our little one grow up with good self-esteem."

Bunthoeun is an 11-year-old boy from Cambodia who's currently in fifth grade. He has three siblings - two sisters and a brother. Bunthoeun is a quiet kid who likes to learn. "He enjoys staying at home, reading books, and working on his writing for school," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). "Bunthoeun developed a mass on his nose that is slowly growing," CSC reports. The cyst causes him mild pain and is uncomfortable. In hopes of getting his cyst treated, Bunthoeun travelled three hours with his mom to reach one of CSC's treatment centers. For $224, we can fund an excision surgery to remove the mass on his nose, making him more comfortable.

Roger is a seven-year-old, thin boy living in a remote community in the Philippines. Roger, his parents, and five siblings live in a small handmade house, made of bamboo. His father works as utility personnel for a local news agency, but struggles to make enough income to provide for his family. Roger is suffering from malnutrition. He needs treatment to regain his health and strength, as well as prevent future complications. Watsi medical partner International Care Ministries' (ICM) Home-Based Feeding program will provide Roger with nutrient enriched food packs to ensure he gets additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. Staff and community volunteers will make weekly visits to monitor Rogers progress. To help sustain his health, ICM's professional staff will educate his parents about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening. $268 will cover the costs of the care Roger needs. Let's help raise the funds! Roger's mother says, "I hope my son will finish schooling someday."

Medius is a 33-year-old mother from Uganda. She has two children, and is pregnant with her third. Both her children attend primary school; the eldest is in fourth grade and the youngest is in first grade. Medius and her husband Emmy are both teachers, but it is still challenging for them to make enough money to support their family and send their children to school. Recently, Medius and her husband obtained a loan to start a poultry project for an extra source of income, but the chicks have not grown enough to be sold. During her free time, Medius likes helping her children in doing their homework and listen to them share about what they learned at school. She hopes that her children will obtain an education and become doctors in her community. Both Medius' previous deliveries were by C-section, and she will need a C-section with this delivery as well. Medius has felt fatigued during the last month of her pregnancy and has come to the mother's hospital to wait for her delivery. For $258, Medius will undergo the C-section and antenatal care she needs for a safe delivery. After her surgery, she hopes to continue teaching and will be strong enough to look after her new poultry farm as the chicken grow. “I want to thank the donors for being merciful and offering to lend a hand. May God bless you,” shared Medius.

Dazen is am 81-year-old farmer from a village in Malawi's Central Region. When he isn't farming, Dazen likes chatting with his children and grandchildren. For the past year, Dazen has had pain due to an enlarged prostate caused from a benign condition that is easily treated surgically. He has been unable to access treatment until now, as the waitlist at the public hospital is extremely long. $726 will fund the prostate resection surgery Dazen needs to get healthy. Dazen and his family are excited for his surgery and for him to return home.

Meet Samson, a father to eight children in Kenya. His wife and kids farm maize and beans on his ¼ acre piece of land. His children did not proceed to secondary school due to lack of school fees and are thus not financially stable. Samson lives in a four roomed house together with his family. Samson is dependent on his wife as his hand was injured when he was attacked during a robbery in June 2012. Samson sustained hand injury after his attack and received a debridement (removal of damaged tissues) on his right hand in the beginning of 2013. However, this procedure left him with damaged tendons and now Samson is not able to utilize his left hand. He cannot farm nor do physically demanding work with his hand. Samson was advised to have the tendons released in July 2013 but he did not receive the surgery due to lack of funds. Samson will undergo tendon repair surgery at AIC Kijabe Hospital. Samson shared: "I want to have my hand treated to be able to provide for my family."

“I will be happy when I receive the financial support to have surgery,” Buherere shares. He is a 63-year-old Ugandan man with a wife and three children. He, and all of his children, are banana farmers. However, the family does not bring in much income because the pieces of land that they own are small. About thirteen years ago, Buherere noticed a swelling in his left groin, or inguinal, region. Over time, he developed another swelling, this time in the right inguinal area. Although at first the lumps were not uncomfortable, this year they have begun to cause him pain and vomiting. Any straining increases his discomfort, so he is now unable to work. Upon the advice of a friend, Buherere traveled to Virika hospital. There, he was diagnosed with bilateral hernias and advised to have surgery. If he does not undergo this procedure, not only will Buherere continue to have to miss work. He also risks having his hernias develop fatal complications, such as strangulation, where part of the intestine undergoes tissue death. Although Buherere cannot afford to pay for hernia repair surgery on his own, we can bridge the gap. For $220, doctors will perform Buherere’s operation, closing the gaps in his abdominal wall that are causing the hernia. This sum will also cover the cost of the medications and two-week hospital stay he will need to recover from his procedure. Let’s help return Buherere to health so he can work again—and support his family.

"I hope my eye will feel comfortable soon,” shared 47-year-old Sakun. For a decade now, Sakun has been living with a pterygium in each of his eyes. These are non-cancerous growths that often develop in the eyes because of heavy exposure to sunlight or dust. Besides this daily discomfort, Sakun’s pterygia cause him blurred vision, as well as redness, burning, and tearing in his eyes. These symptoms, in turn, make it difficult for Sakun to work. Sakun is a rice farmer. It is important that he returns to physical wellness soon so that he can continue to work to support his wife and three sons. Restoring his vision will also help Sakun return to one of his favorite leisure activities, watching the news on TV (which is difficult for him now due to his vision issues). If Sakun receives a pterygium excision surgery in each eye, his pain and irritation will go away. For $150, we can sponsor this double surgery, as well as the hospital stay and medications Sakun will need to recover safely from his operation. “I would like to be able to go outside on my own,” Sakun shares. With this medical intervention, that will be possible again for Sakun.

Staniel is a 56-year-old father of seven. He works as a groundnut and maize farmer to support his family in Malawi. He has been experiencing symptoms related to his enlarged prostate for two years, but has been unable to access surgical treatment until now. For $742 our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM), will be able to perform a surgery to remove part of Staniel's prostate gland. This will help treat some of Staniel's symptoms and allow for a better flow of the urinary tract. His symptoms have prevented him from being able to accomplish some of his farming tasks, and he is excited to return to his work. "I am happy I can receive the operation, and feel like I can have a healthy life now," shared Staniel.