Joram, a talkative three-year-old boy from Tanzania, lives with his parents and four older siblings. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, (AMHF), shares, “Joram likes to draw and color pictures.” A few months ago, Joram was involved in an accident that left him with a severe burn on his right arm. AMHF explains, “Joram was quietly seated in the kitchen finishing his lunch while his sisters were outside chasing each other. Suddenly, his sisters came running into the kitchen and one of the sisters accidentally pushed Joram.” Upon falling, Joram landed in a pot of hot milk, which “poured onto Joram’s right arm and part of his chest and stomach.” Joram was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for several months to treat the burns throughout his body. At this point in time, “a good area of the wound has healed very well,” AMHF reports. However, one large part of his right arm has not responded to treatment, leaving an open wound. According to AMHF, “The wound hurts when lightly touched and bleeds when dressing is done.” Due to these symptoms and pain, “Joram is unable to use his right arm.” Without treatment, Joram’s burn can lead to sepsis—a complication of infection that prompts a full-body inflammatory response, typically resulting in exceptionally high fevers. Joram’s parents—who are both small scale farmers—have “spent a lot of money treating Joram’s wound,” explains AMHF. Despite their efforts, Joram’s parents’ income cannot cover the extra costs of the more complicated treatment that Joram urgently needs. With $780, Joram will receive a skin graft to heal the burn on his right arm. This operation will transplant a section of Joram's healthy skin to the site of the burn. Following this procedure, he will stay at Plaster House—a surgical rehabilitation center—for three months. In time, “Joram’s open wound will heal,” predicts AMHF. “He will have the ability to bend and stretch his right arm, allowing him to perform activities better.” “It was an accident which Joram’s sister feels badly about,” Joram’s parents tell AMHF. “We hope for complete healing so that Joram can use his arm normally.”

Meet Kyi Win, a 49-year-old wife and mother of five children from Burma. According to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), “Kyi Win and her husband are farmers who grow their own food. When Kyi Win’s family needs money for various costs, such as school fees, they sell some spare rice or a pig.” Kyi Win is no longer able to work due to a prolapsed uterus. This condition occurs when all of the muscles surrounding the uterus weaken—consequently causing the uterus to drop. If her condition goes untreated, the muscles surrounding Kyi Win’s uterus will continue to weaken, leading to further health complications. “Her prolapsed uterus is now a mass outside of her body,” BBP explains. “This presents multiple problems for Kyi Win: she is unable to walk easily and therefore cannot work and care for her family.” As they are small-scale farmers who only receive labor assistance from the three oldest children, Kyi Win and her husband are unable to afford the cost of treatment. Kyi Win has already sought financial help from family members, who have helped pay for her previous medical expenses. However, Kyi Win tells BBP, “I do not want to cause further problems for my family by borrowing more money for my health issues.” With $1,500 in Watsi funding, Kyi Win will receive a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove her uterus and cervix—ensuring that her problems will not persist into the future. In addition to her operation, Kyi Win will receive seven days of hospital care, all necessary medical examinations, and a post-operative visit to help facilitate a safe recovery. Following her recovery, “Kyi Win will be able to return to caring for her family by continuing to work on the family farm,” predicts BBP. Kyi Win looks forward to the independence that will follow a successful procedure and recovery. She shares, “I will have no more problems if I can walk well.”

Vanny is a 55-year-old woman from Cambodia who lives with her niece and nephew. According to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), Vanny enjoys, “watching the news and listening to old Khmer songs on the radio.” After experiencing pain in her eyes, Vanny sought medical help and was diagnosed with pterygium in both of her eyes. A pterygium is a benign lesion that grows slowly over the eye. The condition—which usually affects individuals with heavy exposure to sunlight—often leads to reduced vision and general discomfort around the eye area. CSC reports, “Vanny can’t see very well and constantly has burning sensations in her eyes. She has stopped working because of the pain in her eyes.” $150 will fund a surgery to remove the pterygium from Vanny’s eyes. After having the lesion removed in her right eye, she will return to the clinic two weeks later to receive her left-eye operation. Following surgery and recovery, CSC comments, “Vanny will have no more pain in her eyes.” Vanny shares, “After surgery, I am looking forward to having no pain and not being shy in public anymore.”

Meet Kuor, a 48-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, “she is married with two children, and likes to watch Thai dramas on TV in her free time.” Recently, Kuor’s vision has been blurry and she has been experiencing burning sensations in her left eye. Kuor’s symptoms are due to a pterygium in her left eye. Pterygium is a noncancerous lesion that usually grows slowly throughout life due to prolonged sun exposure. A pterygium can continue growing until it covers the pupil of the, interfering with vision. Due to this growth, Kuor feels “shy [around] other people because her face and eye are always red from rubbing, and [she feels that she] looks bad,” says CSC. For $150, we can fund Kuor’s surgery—a procedure in which the pterygium is removed and healthy eye tissue is glued or stitched onto the affected area. Funding will also cover two days of postoperative inpatient care. Following surgery Kuor’s vision will be restored completely, and her eye will no longer burn. CSC shares, “After surgery, Kuor mainly wants to go back [to running] her business and earning money for her family.”

Meet Orbele, a 15-year-old boy from Tanzania. Orbele lives with his aunt, uncle, and three cousins. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Orbele is a “polite boy who enjoys studying mathematics and history.” Outside of school, Orbele used to enjoy playing soccer, but due to bilateral genu valgus ("knocked knees"), he is currently restricted to a more sedentary lifestyle. Bilateral genu valgus occurs when the knees angle outwards, ultimately causing the lower legs to be positioned away from each other. While this is a common condition in very young children and typically resolves itself naturally, Orbele’s case has only worsened with time. “Orbele’s legs started to bend inwards when he was nine years old,” explains AMHF. Now, “he is unable to walk without knocking his knees. The condition has affected his gait and ability to walk or run quickly—he also complains of pain, especially on his left knee after walking a long distance.” Unless he receives treatment, Orbele risks developing osteoarthritis. AMHF says that while his aunt and uncle “love Orbele very much and would like to see him able to walk like he used to,” they do not have the income to cover his treatment costs and support the rest of the family. With $940, Orbele will undergo surgery to straighten and realign his legs. Included in the total cost of treatment, Orbele will receive specialist care from Plaster House—a rehabilitation program. During his three months at Plaster House, Orbele will have two weeks of intensive physiotherapy, which will be critical to his successful recovery. Following surgery and rehabilitation, AMHF shares, “Orbele will be able to walk properly and will decrease his chances of developing osteoarthritis at a young age.” Orbele shares, “I dream of becoming a primary school teacher!”

“My daughter’s condition has caused me much stress and worry. I am really worried that the mass will grow and cover my baby’s eye and give her long-term problems. I really want my daughter to be completely healthy and have a better life than we have,” says Wan Nam’s mother. Wan Nam, a seven-month-old girl from Thailand, has a benign tumor below her left eye. After receiving a CT scan, Wan Nam’s doctors decided that she would need surgery to have the bump removed. "Although it doesn’t currently cause her any physical discomfort it could grow larger and further obstruct her development," they explain. Wan Nam’s “father works as a construction laborer and her mother is a full-time care giver," continues our medical partner. The family, though, is unable to afford treatment. For $1500, we can pay to remove Wan Nam’s mass. “She will be able to grow up as a normal, healthy baby and her parents will be able to stop worrying about her condition," her doctors say.