Nabin lives with his parents, wife, and children. He works in India to support the family, and his wife looks after their cattle and children. Nabin was walking down a steep hill when he slipped and broke his right leg. Since then, his leg has grown swollen and painful. He has been missing work and needs assistance with basic tasks. Nabin and his brother took a three-hour jeep ride to reach our medical partner's care center, Bayalpata Hospital. On February 19, Nabin will undergo treatment to realign his fractured leg. Now, he needs assistance in funding the $541 treatment.

Agnes is a 69-year-old married mother from Central Kenya. In January of this year, Agnes started experiencing irregular pain in her lower abdominal region. Her local hospital gave her some medication, but it did not relieve her symptoms. Agnes has been diagnosed with kidney stones, and she requires a laparotomy to remove them. Without this surgery, the kidney stones may block her ureter, putting Agnes at risk of developing an infection. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, has scheduled Agnes for surgery on April 18. Agnes and her husband need our help to pay for the $750 surgery. "I pray that Watsi can come to my aid so that I can regain my health and be happy with my family," says Agnes.

Meet Abelino, a seven-year-old boy who lives with his family in rural Guatemala. When Abelino was one year old, he got very sick and started having seizures. Abelino has developmental delays, and he is unable to walk on his own. His mother straps him to her back and carries him around all day. While she loves having her son nearby, it is becoming more difficult for her to carry him. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $1,034 to purchase a wheelchair for Abelino. His parents are also asking for help so that they can "keep carrying Abelino forward." Abelino will receive the wheelchair on February 26. With a wheelchair, Abelino will be able to travel to his doctor's appointments more easily. He will also have the chance to fully participate in his family and community life.

Vanna is a 51-year-old farmer from Cambodia. She is married with three daughters and two sons. She likes to cook for her family, read books on Buddhism, and look after her grandchildren. Vanna experiences pain in her lower back and legs. It is difficult for her to bend over. She sometimes feels numbness, and it is hard to continue farming. Vanna traveled for three hours with her daughter to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. Her doctors at CSC found that she has spondylolisthesis, a condition in which one bone in the back slides forward over the bone below it. Vanna is scheduled to undergo spinal surgery on January 18. Surgeons will perform a spinal fusion, attaching rods, hooks, wires, or screws to the curved part of her backbone to straighten and stabilize the spine. After her treatment, Vanna will feel more comfortable. CSC is requesting $450 to cover the costs of her surgery, medication, and four nights stay at their care center to recover.

24-year-old Hla Hla lives with her family in Burma. Her parents owned a fruit shop, but they are now retired. Her oldest sister inherited the shop and works there to support her family. Hla Hla also has an older brother and two younger sisters, who are still in school. Hla Hla stays at home doing housework for the family. She spends her free time listening to Burmese songs. She also loves cooking. Two months ago, Hla Hla was walking uphill when she felt her heart beating strangely. She also felt more tired than usual, so she had to walk slowly. She visited the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a heart valve problem called mitral regurgitation, which causes a reversal of blood flow inside the heart. Knowing surgery was too expensive for the family to afford, Hla Hla’s doctor referred her to our medical partner. Hla Hla’s current symptoms include fatigue, back pain, and loss of appetite. Fortunately, she is scheduled to undergo a mitral valve replacement on January 4. She needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. After recovery, she hopes to continue doing housework at home.

Phally is a 49-year-old farmer who is married and has five sons, two daughters, and three grandchildren. She likes to watch comedies and dramas on TV in her free time. She also enjoys feeding her cows and buffaloes. One year ago, Phally developed a cataract in each eye, causing her blurred vision and tearing. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, working, and going anywhere outside. When Phally learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On December 22, doctors performed a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, Phally will be able to see clearly again. Now, she needs help to fund this $292 procedure. "I hope I can see everything more clearly," says Phally, "so that I can easily plant and feed animals like cows and buffaloes. I will be able to go anywhere outside by myself without needing to disturb others to take care of me anymore."

Leydi is a 6-month-old girl from Guatemala. Previously, Watsi donors funded her formula supplementation when her mother could not produce breastmilk. Unfortunately, now that she is older, her family cannot afford to give her a nutritious diet filled with protein, calories, and nutrients. She has not been gaining weight or growing, and she is underweight for her age. Leydi has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. She has little energy to grow, and her immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. She is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, she began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Leydi lives with her family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. They own a small plot of land, on which they cultivate broccoli, green beans, and peas. Her father works tending the land, while her mother cooks, cleans, and takes care of Leydi. Even though they want the best for their daughter, they cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Leydi recover. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age, and her immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Leydi a chance to grow healthy and strong.

Savon is a 50-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He is married with two sons, four daughters, and four grandchildren. He likes to listen to the social news program on the radio and watch social news and boxing on TV. Savon knew about Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), a Watsi medical partner, because his nephew had surgery there in the past. He traveled for three hours with his wife to reach CSC for treatment. Savon developed a pterygium (non-cancerous growth) in each eye about three years ago causing blurred vision, burning, irritation, and tearing. It is difficult for him to see things, do work, and go anywhere outside without feeling uncomfortable. Eye surgeons at CSC will remove the pterygium in each eye to relieve Savon of his symptoms. $148 will cover the costs of the surgery and care he needs. Savon says, "I hope my eyes look better and feel more comfortable than now so that I can continue my work in my rice fields and go anywhere more easily than now."

Emmanuel is a playful two-year-old boy from Kenya. He can't sit still and grabs anything in sight to play with. Emmanuel is the youngest in a family of three children. He lives with his mother and elder siblings in a single rental house in Nairobi suburbs. His father left them one year ago because he could not meet the demands of a family. Emmanuel's mother is employed as a shop attendant and her income barely sustains her family’s basic needs. Emmanuel was born with undescended testes. The doctors advised that his mother wait until Emmanuel was two-years-old to seek treatment, in case they descended on their own, but they have not. If left untreated, Emmanuel's condition may result in infertility, increased chance of testicular cancer, and a hernia in the groin. Emmanuel’s mother is not able to raise the $542 required for the surgery he needs. Let's help them raise the funds! “I hope he gets treated to prevent the effects of this condition, I appreciate anyone who will fund for my son’s surgical care,” says Emmanuel’s mother.

“We are not in a position to raise the funds needed for our daughters’ surgery,” says Shantel’s father, “but we are asking for help in ensuring her well-being.” Shantel is a beautiful nine-month-old girl who lives with her parents and older sister in a two-room rental house in Kenya. Like most babies, Shantel was born with a protruding navel. But whereas in most cases the navel retracts with time, Shantel’s belly button remained swollen. This worried her parents, and when they consulted doctors, they learned that their baby has an umbilical hernia. This means that the hole through which Shantel’s umbilical cord passed did not close as it should have after the cord was cut, and tissue has pushed through the opening. Shantel needs to have surgery to repair her hernia. If she isn’t treated soon, Shantel could experience life-threatening complications, such as abdominal incarceration, obstruction, or/and strangulation—conditions where parts of the protruding tissue become cut off from blood flow. Shantel’s parents were able to raise $52 for Shantel’s surgery, but that is not enough to cover their child’s surgery. Shantel’s father is a subsistence farmer and supplements his income by doing casual tasks, while her mother stays at home to take care of their two children. $430 will cover Shantel’s hernia repair operation, as well as her lab tests, medications, and two-day hospital stay. Let’s help get Shantel’s young life back on track.

Bumo is a 10-year-old boy from Ethiopia who enjoys playing with his friends. Bumo was born with a congenital anomaly called epispadias, or an abnormal placement of the urethral opening. The condition affects both Bumo and his parents psychologically and socially. His parents worry that he is different from other kids and are concerned that, without treatment, Bumo may not be able to have children. Treatment for Bumo is epispadias repair, a procedure that will ultimately enable normal urination and prevent urinary tract infections. Bumo’s parents are farmers whose income is insufficient to feed the family. Unfortunately, this year’s harvest is low due to last year's rainfall shortage, worsening their financial status. As a result, they cannot afford to pay for the surgery that Bumo needs. $1,105 pays for Bumo's surgery as well as his hospital stay, lab tests, medicine, and imaging. “I always worried about his condition but because of my financial problem," shares Bumo's father, "Because I can’t afford the bill for the treatment required, he could not get the treatment until now. I hope now this problem will be gone.”

Kuminga is a 55-year-old farmer and father of five from a village in Malawi. Three years ago, in 2013, Kuminga started experiencing symptoms including trouble passing urine. He has been living with a catheter, which can lead to infection, trauma, and have a negative psychological impact on patients. Kuminga is unable to afford the prostatectomy he needs. For $742, he will be able to receive this surgery - after which, he is expected to make a full recovery. Kuminga is eager to be able to work again and get rid of his catheter. "After the surgery, my family will benefit since I will be able to be productive again," said Kuminga.