86-year-old Sofiti lives in Malawi with his wife. Together, they have five children and ten grandchildren. Their children manage the day-to-day responsibilities of their farm. Sofiti handles the simpler tasks and plays with his grandchildren. For the past two years, Sofiti has experienced urinary dysfunction. This has left him feeling weak and unable to work as he once did. He has been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate gland. With the help of our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, Sofiti is scheduled for surgery on February 15 to correct his condition. Watsi is asking for $733 to fund the procedure. Your donation will help pay for the surgeon's fees, the anesthesiologist, theater time, medication, and 17 nights stay in the hospital. Once this procedure is done, Sofiti can go back to living a normal, healthy life.

Htwe is a 35-year-old wife and mother from Burma who works as an agricultural day laborer. She lives with her three-year-old daughter, husband, and extended family. Two years ago, Htwe began to feel a lump developing in her lower abdomen. As the lump progressed in size, she began to experience severe back pain, eventually finding it unbearable to work. After two and a half years of intense pain, Htwe and her husband decided to seek treatment in January 2017. They were referred to our medical partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital (MSH), where an ultrasound and other tests revealed that Htwe has a myoma, a benign, non-cancerous tumor in her uterus. It was recommended that she undergo surgery to remove her entire uterus. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a total abdominal hysterectomy on February 2. Due to Htwe and her husband’s inconsistent sources of income, they are unable to pay for the surgery without support. This family-focused mother hopes to return to her job after her surgery and support her daughter’s future. “I want to work hard to save money for my daughter’s education. I want my daughter to become a teacher or a nurse when she grows up. I don’t want her to do hard work like me,” she shares.

Mean is a 66-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He is married and has two sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren. He likes to watch TV and listen to the monks pray at the pagoda. Recently, Mean developed a cataract in each of his eyes, which has led to tearing, burning, irritation, cloudy lenses, and extreme sensitivity to light. Due to his blurred vision, Mean has trouble seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, going anywhere by himself, and doing his work. Mean traveled for three hours with his daughter to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment of his cataracts. On January 17, Mean will undergo vision-restoring cataract surgery. Surgeons will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly again. CSC is requesting $292 to fund the procedure. Mean hopes that his clearer vision will help him earn money to support his family.

Molly is a strong, hard-working woman. She works as a farmer and has raised seven children on her own. Several months ago, Molly noticed a growth on her chest. Over time, it has gotten larger, causing her pain and discomfort and making it difficult to work. Her doctors diagnosed her with a sebaceous cyst and advised her to have it removed. Fortunately, Molly will be receiving treatment at our medical partner's hospital, Bwindi Community Hospital, on January 14. The procedure costs $196. Molly will be contributing $4 of her own money. Once the mass is removed, Molly will be able to support her family, attend church, and socialize with friends free of pain. She expresses her gratitude, saying, “I want to tell the donors thank you so much for helping needy people. I am very grateful."

Pae is a 37-year-old woman who lives in Burma with her brother and his family. Her brother owns rice and sugarcane fields. Three of his children work in Bangkok, and the youngest is in school. He donates some of his money to a fund in their town for roads and monasteries. However, he cannot afford healthcare. Two years ago, Pae moved to Bangkok to work as a housekeeper. Shortly after moving, she began to experience severe exhaustion, heart palpitations, and sweating. She sought care at a local clinic and underwent an echocardiogram. Her doctor found a large hole in her heart. Pae had to stop working because she was too physically exhausted. After just eight months in Bangkok, she returned to her home village to live with her brother. Despite using traditional medicines, her symptoms did not improve. A nurse at a nearby clinic in her village suggested she visit our medical partner’s care center, Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). In September of 2016, Pae made the two-hour trip from her village to MTC for the first time. She underwent an electrocardiogram and blood tests. She was also given atenolol, a medication to treat chest pain and hypertension. Pae was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect (ASD), a cardiac condition in which there is a hole in the wall between the two atria of the heart. On December 16, she underwent surgery to close the hole. Pae is very appreciative of her family’s support, but does not want to rely on them. She needs our help to fund this $1,500 procedure. After recovery, she hopes to return to Bangkok to earn her own income. “I want to be a normal person again,” says Pae. "I would like to do social work, like helping to clean at the monastery and helping people in their homes.”

Levi is a 17-month-old boy from Guatemala. He has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Levi began malnutrition treatment on November 14, 2016. Levi lives with his parents and brother in rural Guatemala. He likes to play cars with his brother. His father works hard as a day laborer in the fields, but his income is small and unsteady. While Levi's parents want the best for their son, their resources are already stretched thin. They cannot afford to pay for his $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Levi recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Levi a chance to grow healthy and strong. "My son always gets sick, and it worries me because he stops eating," says Levi's mother. "He stops wanting to play with his brother and only cries. We––my husband and I––try to give him what he needs, but we do not always have the resources. I am thankful for the help you all will give my son. God bless you. When my son is bigger, I hope that he will be a doctor."

Sophal is a 9-year-old boy from Cambodia. He has one older brother and one younger brother. A fourth grader, Sophal spends his free time playing football, reading books, and playing games. When Sophal was 16 months old, he developed an ear infection in his left ear. The infection resulted in a perforated tympanic membrane, pain, hearing loss, and discharge. Despite treatment at age 3, Sophal's symptoms have not improved. He is unhappy and has difficulty hearing at school. After Sophal's family learned about Watsi's medical partner, the Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled three hours to reach the centre. Ear, nose, and throat surgeons will perform a $423 myringoplasty to repair the perforated tympanic membrane and stop the pain and discharge. Over time, Sophal's hearing should improve. Sophal said, "I hope that my ear discharge stops and I have good hearing."

Than Soe is 20 months old, and came to Watsi's medical partner with a large growth on her upper lip. She lives in Karen State, Burma with her parents, two older brothers (ages 12 and 5), and older sister (age 2). The family currently earns a living as rice farmers. Than Soe was born at home. At 15 days old, her mother noticed her nose was slightly blue and a bit swollen. Since the swelling was very small, they did not seek treatment. Over time, the swelling got worse and the mass on Than Soe’s lip grew bigger and bigger – at the time of her pre-operative interview it is the size of a grape. Than Soe needs surgery to remove the mass and prevent it from growing larger. Her mother worries about the mass, and also worries about the money involved. Fortunately, we can help fund Than Soe's surgery. “I hope to send my daughter to school when she is older," Than Soe's mother shared. "I hope she will be a teacher or something else that contributes to the community."

Pablo's vision has been slowly deteriorating for several years. He was told by a doctor that he likely had cataracts, which are complicating his vision and could make him blind if he does not receive surgery. He lives in an incredibly rural Guatemalan community - 12 hours away from the only hospital in the country capable of giving him the specialized care he needs. 54-year-old Pablo is a friendly and hardworking father - he drives a pickup truck transporting wood from the fields into the city to support his four children. He lives with his family in a one-room house with a tin roof in the northern jungle of Guatemala. He makes only a couple dollars per day and, until his evaluation with the eye specialist, had never been out of his home community. His favorite thing to do when he is not working is to go out and visit his neighbors. Recently, because his vision has gotten so bad, Pablo has been having a hard time at work is worried that he will have an accident if he does not get surgery soon. This surgery, which costs $1500 and will be done with doctors from Watsi's medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, will give Pablo clear lenses so he will be capable of seeing, giving him the ability to work safely without fear of accidents. This surgery will prevent him from becoming blind, and allow him to live a full and happy life in which he is able to provide for his family. "I have been looking for support for one year and so I am so appreciative for the help that I will now get," shares Pablo.

Angel has a beautiful smile, when she decides to show it! She just celebrated her first birthday, as she was born on August 11th, 2015. Angel is able to sit on her own and likes playing with soft toys and being around other children. She is the second-born child in her family, and they live together in Tanzania. Angel was born without any problems and was developing normally. However, she contracted a severe fever when she turned five months old. She was admitted at a local hospital and subsequently treated. After her daughter's recovery, Angel's mother continued to care for her baby as usual. She began to notice that the size of Angel's head was slowly increasing. One day, she became extremely nervous when she realized that Angel's big sister's hat would not fit on Angel's head! She took her daughter back to the hospital. After a thorough examination, Angel was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and exerts pressure. Angel received surgery to install a shunt-- a device that will drain fluid from the brain to another part of the body. This procedure will prevent further intracranial pressure, which could otherwise have affected her eyesight. Angel's mother is a self-employed tailor and her father is a small-scale farmer who primarily grows tomatoes. They have built their own two-bedroom mud house and are trying their best to care for their children. The $775 cost of Angel's surgery is just too high for them to afford. Let's help fund Angel's procedure, which includes a five day hospital stay and a two week stay at the Plaster House, a facility that houses and rehabilitates children who have undergone correctional surgeries. "I hope my baby will get well and continue to grow up like other children," says Angel's mother. "I'll be happy to see her walking."