Andrés is 13 years old and a student from Colombia. He dreams of becoming a soldier when he grows up. He shows a special interest and talent for soccer and other sports activities that he thoroughly enjoys and that contribute to the development of his skills, build his confidence, and support his overall growth. Two years ago, Andrés was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia, a condition in which a small portion of abdominal tissue protrudes through the navel. Surgery has been recommended to correct the hernia and prevent possible future complications. It causes discomfort that prevents one from carrying out daily activities such as playing, jumping, and running. Fortunately, on October 20th, Andrés will undergo hernia repair surgery, and our medical partner, Clinica Noel, is requesting $1,005 to fund Andrés's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. Andrés's mother shared, "Receiving the news that it is now possible for Andrés to have the surgery has been deeply moving for us. Thank you for giving Andrés the chance to receive the care he needs and for restoring our hope at such a crucial moment. We receive this news with hearts full of gratitude and with the hope of seeing Andrés move toward a healthier future full of possibilities."

Leonora is a 62-year-old housewife from the Philippines. While her husband receives a small pension, and Leonora takes in laundry when she can, their daughter, a dishwasher, is the family's main provider. Four months ago, Leonora began to experience troubling symptoms, including a lump on her neck, palpitations, and mild cold symptoms. She was diagnosed with a mass on her thyroid, and she will need surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Leonora receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 14th, during which surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, while WSFP is raising the remaining $935 to cover the cost of Leonora's procedure and care. Leonora said, "Receiving a free operation would be a huge relief for me and my family. I am deeply grateful to the organization, and I hope that your efforts in helping the poor will continue, so that more people in need can benefit from your compassion and generosity."

Naika is a three-month-old infant from Haiti. She is the only child to her parents. Naika has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess fluid accumulates in the brain and increases pressure on the skull. As a result of her condition, Naika has been experiencing Increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Naika will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Naika at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on October 8th. This critical treatment will place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from Naika's brain to reduce pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Naika will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Naika's family is looking forward to their child growing up healthy.

Ny is a 49-year-old homemaker from Cambodia. She is from Kampong Cham province, where she lives with her husband, a police officer, and their youngest son, who is in primary school. Her oldest child is currently attending university. In her free time, Ny enjoys cooking and trying new recipes. In February 2020, Ny was in a motor vehicle accident that caused a fracture in her right elbow. She underwent surgery at a provincial hospital and spent two months recovering. Surgical hardware was affixed during surgery, and currently, Ny is experiencing discomfort in her arm, which has affected its function. She needs to undergo another surgery to remove the hardware from her right elbow in order to alleviate the discomfort and improve her arm's function. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On December 5th, Ny will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will help her use her arm and hand easily again. She and her family are able to contribute $50 towards the cost of his treatment, but need help raising $254 more to fund the procedure. Ny said, "I hope to recover quickly so I can return home to care for my family."

Stanley is a father of six children. His parents did not send him to school, so he does not know how to read or write. His wife is a farmer. Stanley raises cattle on a small-scale farm and earns a small income from selling milk. For about one month now, Stanley has had bilateral inguinal hernia, which causes discomfort and pain. Fortunately, on December 19th, Stanley will undergo corrective surgery that will allow him to live more comfortably. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $201 to fund Stanley's surgery. Stanley says, “I thank God who brought me to this hospital to seek treatment after taking a long time without getting treatment; I hope to get support from the donor program because I cannot manage to support my surgery. I will keep grazing my cattle to get money and take care of my family.’’

Hosea is a shy, 21 year old student, living with his parents and brothers in Kenya. Hosea's father herds cattle, while his brothers are casual laborers. His mother is unwell, and unable to contribute to the support of the family. When Hosea isn't at school, he helps to cultivate the land and to set up fencing in order to earn more income for the family. Hosea was recently sent home from school, due to a lack of the necessary fees to keep him there. He decided to find some work to earn the money for his school fees, and borrowed a bike from a friend, so that he could transport people and luggage, earning a commission for his work. Unfortunately, Hosea lost control of his bike, and was in a traffic accident, sustaining an injury to his leg. As a result, he is in chronic pain and is unable to work. Hosea sought the help of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, and was diagnosed with a fracture of the tibia and fibula. Now he is scheduled to undergo fracture repair surgery on November 1st, at AIC Kapsowar Hospital, after which he should be able to resume his life, free from pain. African Mission Healthcare Foundation is requesting $1,145 to fund this procedure. Hosea said: "I am in need and appealing for help from all well-wishers reading my story."

Chora is a 22-year-old welder and construction worker. He is married and lives with his wife, who works as a rice and potato farmer. They recently welcomed a son to their family. When he is not working in construction, he likes to exercise and play with his son. In October 2021, Chora was welding a roof on a new house when he got an electrical burn on his left hand. He received treatment at a local hospital, but his hand became infected. He is unable to flex his thumb or use his hand, the muscles have atrophied, and he cannot work. He experiences pain and spent several weeks in the hospital to help heal his wound. He requires a skin graft procedure to repair his hand. When Chora learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for seven hours seeking treatment. On January 11th, surgeons at CSC will perform a skin graft procedure to transfer a skin flap to cover the site that was infected and allow Chora to use his hand again. Now, he needs help to fund this $474 procedure. Chora shared, "I hope that the surgeons can fix my burns so that I can work again. I have a newborn son and need to work to support my family."

Shedrack is a social 12-year-old boy. He's is cheerful and fun, and is the last born in a family of three children. Shedrack joined school earlier this year and he can now recite all the vowels. He is in a special needs school due to cerebral palsy. Shedrack's parents are small-scale farmers of maize and vegetables which they use mainly for their own food for their family. They also buy maize from fellow farmers and resell at a small profit at their local market. Through this, they are able to get money to support their family. Shedrack has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Shedrack traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on October 26th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Shedrack's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk and be active more easily. Shedrack’s mother says: “My son is a determined boy who despite his cerebral palsy condition does not want to be left behind by his age mates. With his feet bending, walking has started being challenging for him and is affecting his daily life activities.”

Teresia is a homemaker with five children between ages six and 26. Her husband is a casual laborer who depends on manual jobs to earn a living for their family. They live together in Thika, a town in south-central Kenya, in a three roomed rental house. In 2017, Teresia began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty swallowing. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. She has made several trips to different healthcare facilities that have exhausted her savings. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Teresia receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 19th at AMH's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The procedure will cost $686, and she and her family need help raising money. Teresia shared, “I have had treatment but I keep feeling unwell. This time I am hopeful all will be well, but first I need this surgery."

Tumuhirwe is a 65-year-old farmer from Uganda. She is a widow and a mother to two children: a boy and a girl. Both never completed school due to lack of school fees for their family. She currently earns a living from farming where she grows food crops for home consumption and she sells off the surplus to get some money to buy soap and paraffin. She shared with us that her husband died in 2018. Since two years ago, Tumuhirwe has been experiencing lower abdominal pain accompanied by discharge and dyspareunia. She has been diagnosed with premalignant cervical lesion. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Tumuhirwe's surgery. On September 7th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Tumuhirwe will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Tumuhirwe says, “I hope to get better after my surgery because it’s the only hope I have after trying out everything and failing. I will resume with farming after I have completely recovered.”

Maisori is a three-year-old boy and the youngest in his family of three children. He is a friendly and playful boy. Maisori was born with an extra finger digit and a congenital hand contracture. His parents had tried to seek treatment for him, but were informed that he would need his extra digit to be amputated and then also release the contracture on his last little finger. They were not able to afford the surgical costs so were not able to go forward with the treatment. Maisori's father works as a driver while his mother sells food at a local restaurant called "mama ntilie "(mum serve me). Maisori is having a hard time holding things with his right hand due to his fingers and has pain in his hand. Maisori's parents heard about Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center ALMC-The Plaster House and they decided to bring him to try seek for help. This treatment will allow Moisori to able to use his right hand more and he will be able to look after himself and be more independent as he grows up. Maisori’s father told us, “Please help my son get this treatment so that his hand can be okay and he can be able to look after himself as he grows up.”

Mai is a 20-year-old banker from Cambodia. He enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, and hanging out with his friends after work. In October of 2018, Mai slipped and fell off of the fourth floor of an old building and fractured his left leg. He went to an emergency clinic where doctors fitted him with internal hardware to help heal his injuries. Now, the fracture has healed but he experiences pain when walking and working. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On November 22, Mai will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $214. Treatment will remove the hardware and allow him to walk easily and return to work again. Mai said, "I hope that I will no longer have any pain and I can walk on my foot again."