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."

Aung is a 34-year-old man from Burma who lives with his wife, son, and daughter. Both he and his wife work as government officers. In his free time he likes to read books. Aung was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of the mitral valve, the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Aung feels tired, has chest pains, and has difficulty breathing. However, he can eat and sleep well. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Aung. The treatment is scheduled to take place on January 27th and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. “I want to go back to work [as a] healthy [person] and support my family,” said Aung.

Phet is a 69-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has four children, eight grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her spare time. Two years ago, Phet developed a cataract in each eye, causing her blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Phet learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 18th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $398 procedure. Phet said, "I hope that I will be able to see clearly again so I can help take care of my grandchildren and assist with any housework."

Win is a 46-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife and two sons in a village in Karen State. His elder daughter is a health worker where she works at a clinic in a rural village. His two youngest sons are students. Both he and his wife are a subsidence farmers. In his free time, he sometimes helps his community with building bridges or roads as much as he can. In January 2020, Win began experiencing painful urination and other troubling symptoms. Sometimes he also feels stomach pain in his right side. Watsi donors have helped to fund a CT scan and doctors have now been able to diagnose his kidney stones, which are hard deposits of minerals that form in the kidneys and are often very painful to pass. He has been advised to undergo surgery to remove his kidney stones. If left untreated, Win's symptoms will continue to worsen and will put him at risk for further health complications in the future. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Win's kidney stone removal surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 17th. Win said, "I am very excited to receive surgery soon and I cannot wait to recover from my condition."

Touch is a 48-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has one son and two grandchildren, and enjoys watching both Khmer and Thai dramas on television in her spare time. One year ago, Touch developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision and photophobia. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Touch learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled by taxi seeking treatment. On March 5th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Touch shared, "I hope that my surgery will go well and I will be able to look after my grandchildren again and help with the housework."

Chheng is a 60-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He has nine children, seven grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the news on the radio during his free time. One year ago, Chheng developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him vision loss. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Chheng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 21, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $211 procedure. Chheng said, " hope that I will be able to see clearly so I can return to my work on the farm and can help feed the cows."