This is Karna, a 48-year-old husband and farmer, who lives with his wife in a village in Nepal. Together, they look after their cattle and tend to the farm. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, Karna began to experience considerable pain due to an inguinal hernia. It started causing complications, and since then, he has been completely bedridden. In need of medical attention, Karna and his wife left behind their cattle with neighbors and trekked for four days to reach the hospital. "I have had this hernia for about one and a half years, but only now has it become problematic," Karna shares. $491 in funding will allow Karna to receive the surgery he needs. With bed rest and monitoring, Karna will return to his healthy, normal self. Once he is healthy again, Karna looks forward to seeing his sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren when they visit from India.

Khem is a 70-year-old man from Cambodia who spends his time working at the pagoda. He is married with 8 daughters and 35 grandchildren. He enjoys reading the Buddhist text and cleaning the pagoda. One year ago, Khem developed a cataract in each eye. This causes him to be partially blind, experience tearing and have cloudy lenses. He can't see clearly, do work well, or go outside on his own. Khem traveled two hours to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, with his wife. He learned a simple surgical procedure can restore his sight. For $225, Khem will receive cataract surgery. Doctors will remove the old, cloudy lenses from his eyes and replace them with clear, artificial implants. "I hope my eyes can see everything more clearly than now," Khem says. "Then, I can read the Bible more clearly than now and easily walk anywhere outside."

Piseth is a 15-year-old sixth grade student with one younger sister. She enjoys reading books, doing her homework, and listening to music. Piseth traveled to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) with her mother, which they heard about over the radio. Piseth began having pain and ear discharge from her left ear when she was a baby. Over time, the infection caused a perforated tympanic membrane. She experiences recurrent discharge. "I am unhappy that I have ear pain and it is difficult to communicate with other people. Sometimes I can not go to school because of my condition," she told CSC. While there is treatment available, Piseth's family cannot afford the $399 that would cover a myringoplasty procedure to treat her condition. A myringoplasty surgery on the left side will repair the perforated tympanic membrane and the ear discharge will stop. Over time, Piseth's hearing will improve. "I hope after the operation is done my daughter's ear discharge will stop and she can have good hearing and health," Piseth's mom says.

Balikurungi is a 59-year-old housewife and a mother of nine children. She works in the fields to produce food for her family. Balikurungi presented with a tender mass in the right inguinal region that has occurred on and off since the year 2000. It started as a small swelling, but it has now increased in size. It pains her mostly on straining. Due to this pain, Balikurungi is unable to lift heavy items. Also, she is unable to work in the fields for a long time as she used to. In February 2016, Balikurungi visited a health center where she was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia—a protrusion of the intestines through a weak spot in the abdominal wall—and was advised to go for surgery. As she did not have money for surgery, Balikurungi decided to go back home until recently, when she learned about the Watsi program at Virika hospital. Balikurungi's husband is a peasant with low and seasonal income, and none of her children are employed. She says she had nowhere to turn to for help, and that is why she has lived with the hernia for such a long time. “I am unable to pay for my surgery," Balikurungi shares. "I am requesting your help.” For $220, Balikurungi will undergo hernia repair, in which a surgeon pushes the protruding tissue back into the abdomen and sews together the weakened muscle with a synthetic mesh. Over time, muscle tissue grows into and around the mesh to strengthen the area. Funding for Balikurungi also covers the costs of a two-week hospital stay, pain medicine, antibiotics, and blood tests. A hernia repair will lead to an improved quality of life for Balikurungi. She will no longer experience the pain or be at risk of intestinal strangulation, which can be life-threatening. She will be able to work in the fields and also take care of her family. After surgery, Balikurungi hopes to produce more food and sell some for income.

19-month-old Jose is from rural Guatemala. He has a history of malnutrition, and his mother recently brought him to our clinic because he has still not spoken a word. He seems to follow only the simplest of commands, but it is unclear if he can hear or if he just follows others' gestures. His mother is worried that if he does not receive a workup and therapy he will not be able to ever speak or attend school. Jose lives with his parents and two older siblings. His parents work as farmers, harvesting bananas on a plantation. Jose's favorite food is beans, and he loves to play with his one toy, which is a ball. His parents work hard to give Jose the best, and fight to make sure he eats well, but his mother is worried that he will never learn to talk because they can't afford expensive medical care to diagnose him and give him the opportunity to go to therapy to learn to speak. Treatment will provide Jose with a full diagnostic workup to determine the extent of his inability to hear. He will receive transportation, and lodging so they can receive care in the capital, which is many hours away from the rural coastal community in which they live. This will help Jose's mother feel more confident that her son can attend school on day, and be a good student. "Thanks for the collaboration of all the people that will help my son move forward," Jose's mother said. "I hope he can study and be a good man when he is bigger."

Meet Rajan, a five-year-old boy from Nepal. “Rajan was scaling a wall with his friends when he fell on his left leg,” shares our medical partner, Possible. “Since then his leg has swollen and is causing him a great deal of pain. He needs help using the washroom, getting dressed, and doing other activities he enjoyed doing independently before.” Rajan has a broken leg and will require surgery for it to heal properly. “He and his family had to walk for seven hours to come to the hospital. Had it not been for this hospital, they would have had to take him to a private clinic. Rajan’s family struggles to make a living, They farm and sell firewood and the produce is not enough to feed themselves for even six months of the year.” For $579, Rajan will undergo open reduction and internal fixation surgery. The surgeon will align the bones in his lower leg and insert metal hardware to fully stabilize them so that they heal properly. Four to six weeks after the procedure, the bones should be healed enough for Rajan to begin recovering the strength and mobility in his leg. In time, he will be able to walk normally. "I'm so grateful that Rajan is getting healed, otherwise he would have a difficult life with unaligned bones," his mother says.

Enderson has been suffering from seizures since he was six or seven months old. He has tried to seek out care through other outlets, but his family has been unable to afford expensive imaging--leaving the cause of his recurring seizures a mystery. Enderson is 10 years old, and from a rural community in Guatemala. He likes to spend his free time cooking, doing crafts, arranging flowers, and playing soccer with his brothers. He likes to listen to instrumental music, and eat grapes. He and his family are very involved in their church, which they go to every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. His parents both work hard, but they cannot afford to buy food for the family as well as Enderson's expensive medical care. He has been having constant headache for the past two months, and has been having nausea and vomiting almost every day. This has caused him to stay home from school, hurting his ability to graduate on time and fulfill his dreams. Treatment will give Enderson high-quality medical imaging, labs, and medication which will provide him with a more fine-tuned diagnosis and allow him to manage his symptoms. Once he feels better, he will be able to go back to school, and he will be able to pursue his dreams as a chef.

“I would love to get well and go back to work,” shares Walter, a 50-year-old widower from Kenya who fractured his left upper and lower leg in a motorcycle accident last fall. “Before the accident, Walter had been a casual laborer, moving from one homestead to another in search of casual labor for sustenance,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Since the accident, he has been unable to work on people’s farms due to his painful leg. With no income and no contact with his two daughters, Walter has had to rely on friends for financial support. “He has no place to call home, he owns nothing, and relies on [a friend] for his upkeep.” Walter needs surgery—open reduction and internal fixation—to reposition and set the broken bones of his upper and lower left leg and enable proper healing. Without treatment, “the pain will persist and there [is a risk of a] bone infection in Walter's leg,” explains AMHF. $1,410 pays for the surgery that Walter needs. Funding also covers the cost of seven days of hospital care, including imaging, blood tests, pain medicine and antibiotics, and physical therapy. “It is expected that after the treatment, Walter will have easy mobility and will be relieved of the pain,” says AMHF. “He will be able to work and earn a living.” Walter looks forward to a successful operation. “I will improve my life and help others as I have been assisted,” he said.

Hun is a 61-year-old woman from Cambodia; “Hun is married with two sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda and listening to monks pray," our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. One year ago, Hun developed cataracts--a clouding of the eye’s lens--in both eyes. "This causes her blurred vision, discharge, tearing, and fear of bright lights. It is hard for her to see clearly, do work, or go anywhere outside," CSC explains. For $225, Hun can undergo cataract surgery, during which her old lenses will be removed and replaced with sheer artificial implants, allowing her to see again immediately after her operation.

Sul is a 15-year-old student from Cambodia who studies Arabic. He has six brothers and three sisters. Sul enjoys playing games, watching TV, and reading books for his Arabic lessons. He traveled six hours with his brother to reach Children's Surgical Centre for treatment. Sul was in a traffic accident in February 2016 that caused an open fracture of his left femur. He is in a wheelchair, and it is painful for him to walk. Sul requires a debridement and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery to repair the fracture. The debridement will remove all the dead and infected skin around his open fracture, and ORIF will reposition and set the broken bone. Once his fracture has healed, he will be able to walk without pain. For $405, Sul will undergo the needed surgery and also receive two weeks of hospital care, five days of post-operative care (including physiotherapy), and six follow-up appointments during the first year after surgery. "I hope I can walk normally after my surgery and not be in any pain," shares Sul. "When I am healed, I will go home and return to school."