Eunice is a 22-year-old mother from Uganda. She and her husband, Hudu, have one daughter and are currently expecting their second child. Eunice is a student in a tertiary institution, while her husband is a driver. Eunice enjoys spending time with friends and watching her daughter play with the other children in the community. Eunice has a severe form of oligohydromnios, a condition characterized by a deficiency of amniotic fluid. She also delivered her first child through C-section. For these reasons, her doctors consider her pregnancy to be high-risk. They recommend that she receive medical attention before, during, and after labor to ensure a safe delivery. On February 6, she will begin to receive supplements and attend antenatal checkups and health education classes. She will deliver her baby in the hospital, where she will undergo a C-section. After birth, Eunice and her baby will be monitored by the hospital staff. Our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is requesting $241 to help Eunice safely deliver her baby. Eunice is looking forward to giving birth to a healthy child. She says, "Thank you so much for the help with my safe delivery."

Win Win is a 42-year-old woman who lives in Burma with her husband and son's family. Two years ago, Win Win noticed pain in her lower abdomen. She has sought treatment on multiple occasions, but her symptoms have relapsed each time. After she received an ultrasound, doctors found a uterine myoma, or noncancerous mass, in her uterus. Win Win will undergo a surgery on January 26 to remove her uterus and the mass. “I really want to be healthy again," expresses Win Win, "so I can go back to work and save money to pay back my debt.” Her family operates a knife-repairing business but does not have the funds to cover the surgery. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, has requested $1,500. This will cover Win Win's surgery and hospital stay.

Nom is 60 years old. She likes to go to the pagoda to listen to monks pray and go to the farm to feed her animals. Three years ago, Nom developed a cataract in each eye, causing her blurred vision, tearing, and irritation. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, working, and going anywhere outside. When Nom learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four hours seeking treatment. On December 15, doctors performed a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, Nom will be able to see clearly again. Now, she needs help to fund this $292 procedure. "I hope to be able to see everything more clearly," she says, "so that I can keep feeding my cows and buffalos. I want to be able to do any work easily and go anywhere outside by myself too."

Neymar is a ten-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, Neymar began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Neymar loves to play with his toy cars. His favorite foods are cauliflower and broccoli. He lives with his family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. His father works as a day laborer on a local plantation. He cannot afford his son's $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Neymar 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 Neymar a chance to grow healthy and strong. "This program is going to help me be able to give my son the foods he needs," says Neymar's mother, "so he can grow and develop better."

Meva is a two-month-old baby girl from Kenya with hydrocephalus, which is a condition caused by the buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the head. Meva has an increased head size and is irritable. Meva is the last born in a family of three children. A few days after her birth, Meva’s mother noticed she had poor head control, and the size of her head was rapidly increasing. This concerned her, so she decided to seek advice at a nearby hospital. After scans and investigations, the doctors confirmed that Meva had hydrocephalus. If left untreated, she will suffer many complications that can lead to brain damage. The increased pressure inside the skull may cause progressive enlargement of the head and potentially cause mental disability and tunnel vision. The hospital lacked the resources to treat Meva so they were referred to Bethany Kids at Kijabe Hospital. Meva’s family made the long trip to Kijabe where Meva was seen by a Neurosurgery consultant. They were educated on Meva’s condition and informed on the need for surgery. Meva’s parents became distressed when they learned this as they had already spent most of their meager savings on Meva’s medical tests. Meva’s father is a fisherman and her mother stays at home to take care of her children. They live in a single-roomed rental house. They urgently need help to pay for Meva’s operation to help her live a long and healthy life. For $685, Meva will undergo treatment for her congenital hydrocephalus. The procedure will relieve Meva of swelling and pain.

“I hope his treatment will help Evans be stronger and that he will learn to walk,” shares Evans’s mother. Two months ago, Evans was starting to take his first steps. But now, at eighteen months old, he cannot stand by himself. This is because Evans has developed severe malnutrition. He is very physically weak, and often has diarrhea—a symptom that is both caused by malnutrition, and worsens his malnourishment, as it strips his body of nutrients and hydration. If Evans does not receive treatment soon, walking will only be the first of many developmental setbacks he could face: adults who had malnutrition in childhood tend to have lower IQs and poorer school performances than their healthy counterparts, and are also likelier to someday raise malnourished children themselves. For $375, Evans will receive the malnutrition treatment he needs. This includes micronutrients, medications, and diagnostic tests. After ten days of inpatient treatment, Evans’ health will be stabler, and he can begin the path to recovering fully. Evans’ mother cannot pay for her son’s hospital stay on her own. She is a subsistence farmer of corn and sorghum, and sometimes picks tea as a supplement to her income. She has contributed $1 towards Evans’s treatment, which is the most she can afford. “I thank all of the donors and ask God to protect them,” she shares.

Rin is a 75-year-old woman from Cambodia with five sons and two daughters. She enjoys staying home and looking after her grandchildren. 30 years ago, Rin began developing a large mass located in the right occipito-temporal area. In the last two weeks or so, the mass has reached a debilitating size and has become quite painful. Rin traveled four hours with her daughter to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for treatment. Rin requires a $392 excision and flap surgery to excise the large mass. A surgeon will remove the mass, and through reconstructive plastic surgery, Rin will receive a donor skin tissue with all necessary major blood vessels. The procedure will alleviate her pain and discomfort. With our support, Rin can return home to her children and grandchildren in good health.

“When I grow up, I would like to become a primary school teacher,” shares Ramadhani, a happy, hard-working, 13-year-old boy who lives with his grandparents in Tanzania. He loves going to school, where he is in class three and enjoys mathematics and science. Ramadhani was born with talipes equinovarus, a condition commonly known as congenital clubfoot. His right foot is twisted out of position due to short tendons in the foot and ankle, preventing him from stepping on the sole of his right foot as he walks. Even with his deformed right foot, Ramadhani likes to run and jump around with other children. Ramadhani’s parents are small-scale farmers who grow potatoes and cassava. They look after Ramadhani and his two younger siblings as well as their parents. For many years, they have not been able to get proper treatment for their son. It is through word of mouth that Ramadhani’s grandfather heard about The Plaster House and what it does and collected enough cash to transport Ramadhani to Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre for treatment. For $1,160, Ramadhani will undergo surgery to release the tendons in his foot and ankle. Doctors will then move his foot into the proper position and place it in a cast for up to two months. Funding also covers the costs of cast changes, braces, and a four-month stay at The Plaster House for recovery and rehabilitation after surgery. After receiving care, Ramadhani will be able to properly step on his right foot and wear shoes.

Faliot is a 75-year-old retired civil servant, where he worked primarily administrative jobs. He lives in Malawi with his wife of 32 years, and they have nine children; five of which are still in school. Being retired, it is difficult for Faliot to provide for all of his children and his wife. Faliot began experiencing symptoms related to his enlarged prostate since last year. He wakes up multiple times in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and experiences frequent pain and discomfort. Although he cannot afford the cost of surgery himself, Faliot is excited to have a prostate resection to relieve his symptoms. After the surgery, Faliot is expected to make a full recovery.

Jonas is a seven-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the first born to his parents who are both subsistence farmers. Jonas was born with a left clubbed foot. Clubfoot is a congenital condition where the foot is curved inwards at the ankle, as opposed to straight. This condition will cause Jonas to have difficulty walking as he gets older. His parents asked around their village for anything that could be done to help Jonas, but couldn't find help. When the outreach team of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), visited, they explained that Jonas's condition could be fully corrected with surgery and casting. The total cost of treatment is $1,160, and includes four months of physical therapy at a rehabilitation center after surgery. Let's help Jonas take his first steps! "I would like to see my child walking normally like other children," shares Jonas's mother.

Dickson is a 75-year-old father and grandfather who farms tobacco in Malawi. He came to our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM), seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate gland. “Dickson's enlarged prostate has led to urinary incontinence, an embarrassing and inconvenient symptom,” WAM tells us. “He is occasionally unable to go to work in the garden due to his condition.” The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. An enlarged prostate—known as benign prostatic hyperplasia—is a common condition in older men due to hormonal changes. As the prostate gets larger, it squeezes the urethra, causing problems with urination. Typical symptoms include difficulty starting or stopping urination, weak urine streams, and inability to empty the bladder. For $742, Dickson will undergo surgery—transurethral resection of the prostate—in which doctors insert an instrument into the urethra to remove the part of his prostate that is blocking urine flow. After surgery, a catheter will be inserted temporarily to remove urine from the bladder. When the urine is free of blood or blood clots, the catheter will be removed, and Dickson can urinate on his own. Funding for Dickson also pays for a three-night hospital stay, lab tests, medicine, and transportation to and from the hospital for him and two caregivers. “Following surgery,” says WAM, “Dickson is expected to have his catheter removed and make a full recovery.”

“Lencer is a young child with a long medical history,” reports our medical partner in Kenya, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). When he was nine months old, he fell sick with meningitis; he has contracted pneumonia six times since his birth; and now, at three years old, Lencer has contracted tuberculosis. “Lencer has battled his previous medical complications with zeal,” AMHF tells us. However, fighting these near-constant illnesses “has drained his family’s income,” leaving them unprepared to cope financially with the most recent medical problem that has beset Lencer: severe hearing loss in both ears. Lencer’s hearing problems are sensorineural, meaning they originate in his inner ear, and could have been caused by a variety of factors, from disease to head trauma. According to AMHF, “if not assisted with the hearing aids, Lencer may not be able to communicate effectively”—a deficiency that could have profound implications for the child’s social life, language learning, academic abilities, and career. $920 will purchase two hearing aids—one for each of Lencer’s ears. With these devices in place, “Lencer will be able to use speech and hearing for communication,” AMHF tells us. “I feel emotionally weak that my child has to pass through all these medical complications,” shares Lencer’s father. “My only wish is to have God heal him and for him to grow as a healthy child.” Let’s help make that wish a reality for this family.