Princess is a one-year-old girl from the Philippines who loves playing with her toys. Unfortunately, Princess was born with congenital cleft lip and palate. This makes it difficult for her to swallow food and drinks, making feeding Princess very challenging and uncomfortable. To fix her lip and palate, she will receive surgery from our medical partner's hospital, Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, on May 22. The surgery requires general anesthesia and a short hospital stay, for a total cost of $153. Once Princess receives this surgery, she'll be able to lead a much more comfortable and normal life. Her mother expresses her gratitude, saying, "I am asking for help for my daughter to be operated on so she can have a normal childhood and future. Also, if she is operated on she can eat well and will not be aspirated. Thank you in advance for the help you will give us."

Mey Chou is a 15-year-old girl from Cambodia who is currently a student in the eighth grade. She has four brothers and two sisters. In her free time, she likes to read her school books and watch Thai movies dubbed in Khmer. Mey Chou was born with a nevus, a dark-colored hairy patch of skin, on her left cheek. This causes her to feel uncomfortable around others. On March 17, surgeons will perform an excision and flap procedure on Mey Chou. They will remove the nevus and graft skin onto its former site. This surgery will help Mey Chou feel more comfortable. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $450 for Mey Chou's treatment.

Samnang is a 22-year-old sophomore college student living in Cambodia. He has four siblings: two sisters and two brothers. He likes to watch TV and play football in his free time. Samnang sustained an acid burn on his back and neck, leading to a burn contracture. Burn scar contractures are a natural occurrence in the healing process from second- or third-degree burns. The skin tightens to cover the open wound quickly, but in that process, it becomes tight and inflexible. Samnang once visited a hospital for treatment for his burn contracture, but his symptoms did not improve. When he heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled there seeking treatment. Samnang will undergo treatment for severe burns on February 24. Now, he needs help to fund this $194 care. Following his recovery, Samnang will have restored flexibility and movement in his neck. He will be able to study and be physically active with no pain or discomfort.

Moeun is a 70-year-old housewife from Cambodia with five sons and two daughters. She likes to stay at home, look after her grandchildren, and cook for her family. In 2011, Moeun fell, resulting in a fracture in her right femur. In 2012, she first came to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), to receive an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure to heal her fracture. She traveled four hours with her daughter to reach CSC for treatment. Later that year, she returned to remove the hardware from the procedure. However, a few days later, she fractured her femur once again, and surgeons performed another ORIF procedure and bone graft to heal her injury. Moeun recently returned to CSC because it is difficult for her to walk, and she is in pain. Surgeons at CSC will remove the hardware from her second ORIF procedure to allow Moeun to feel comfortable again. The surgery is scheduled for January 17, and our medical partner is requesting $411 to fund the treatment.

Mai is a 75-year-old pepper farmer from Cambodia. She is married and has two sons, six daughters, and twenty-one grandchildren. She likes to do housework and enjoys watching Khmer dramas and the news on TV. About two years ago, Mai developed a cataract in each eye, which led to partial blindness, pain, tearing, cloudy lenses, and extreme sensitivity to light. Now, it is difficult for her to see things clearly, do any work, or go anywhere on her own. "I want to be able to recognize the faces of everyone and go anywhere by myself," says Mai. She discovered our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), through a neighbor and traveled for five hours with her daughter to receive treatment. On January 6, Mai will undergo a phacoemulsification procedure and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. These procedures will remove her clouded lenses and replace them with clear artificial lenses. CSC is requesting $292 to fund her treatment.

Saidati is a 16-year-old woman from Uganda. She and her husband, Humarn, are expecting their first child. Saidati lives with her in-laws, who operate a small restaurant. She works as a waitress. During her free time, Saidati enjoys watching netball games, swimming in the river, and weaving mats and baskets. Saidati visited our medical partner’s hospital, Bwindi Community Hospital. Because she is young, 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 April 15, she will begin to receive supplements and attend antenatal checkups and health education classes. She will deliver her baby in the hospital, and she will undergo a C-section if necessary. After birth, Saidati and her baby will be monitored by the hospital staff. Though Saidati and her husband are paying $7 for her treatment, they need help to pay her remaining medical bill. Our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is requesting $241 to fund antenatal visits, lab tests, medication, and three nights of hospital stay. Saidati thanks donors for supporting her treatment and prays to God to bless them in all they do.

Kenie is a three-year-old boy from the Philippines. He is the only child in his family. His mother is a housewife. Kenie’s father used to work as a miner, but he found the job too dangerous. Now, he takes jobs as a laborer. Kenie is an active and playful child. He loves to run around and smile at people. He was born with cleft lip and palate, which causes him difficulty eating and speaking. He also experiences frequent coughs and colds. Kenie’s mother worries about her son’s condition. She learned from a pastor about our medical partner, International Case Ministries. On November 3, 2016, Kenie underwent cleft lip surgery. His parents need help to pay for this $1,246 procedure. In a few months, he will undergo cleft palate surgery. "I am really happy that my son will be qualified for this surgery,” says Isa, Kenie’s mother. “We even left home very early to travel to the hospital and along the way, I am praying and hoping that he is okay and fit for surgery. I am a bit scared that he will undergo surgery, but I know this is for his good. I am looking forward to seeing my son's sweet smile, and I know that he will be very handsome. I hope that he will finish school and fulfill whatever dreams he has."

Josephred, a four-year-old boy, lives in a bamboo hut in a remote and mountainous region of the Philippines. His mother is a housekeeper, while his father is a carpenter. His family cannot afford nutritious food, so Josephred weighs much less than other children his age. Josephred has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. He began $268 malnutrition treatment on October 20. He is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. "I hope that he will be able to finish his studies and become healthy," says Josephred's mother.

Ruben is an eleven-year-old boy from Tanzania. He lives with his parents, who are peasant farmers. He is the third of four children. Ruben is a smart child who enjoys school, and is in fifth grade. Ruben was burnt by a fire when he was very small. Since then he has not been able to straighten his fifth finger of his right hand. This limits the mobility and function of his hand, affecting his ability to do work around his home or on his parents small holding. Ruben needs surgery to straighten his finger, which is bent due to a contracture (skin tightening) from when his burn healed. $550 will cover the cost of the surgery and care Ruben needs. Ruben says "Thank you very much for looking after me - I would like to be a teacher in the future and work in the Plaster House!"

Born in Guatemala, Darwin is the first child to two loving parents. His father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops on large plantations, and wakes up long before dawn to look for firewood to sell, often making little more than a couple dollars per day. His mother works weaving traditional Mayan textiles, which she sells in a local market. Although both his parents work hard, they cannot afford to give him even one egg, vegetable, or fruit per day. Darwin's parents did not realize that their son was not growing well. Darwin is around three times below a normal size for his age and suffering from acute malnutrition. This is because the diet his parents can afford for him is mostly corn tortillas, which lacks protein, calories, and nutrients. If he does not receive treatment, the consequences could follow him for the rest of his life--leaving him with a low IQ, trouble focusing in school, and a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as an adult. All these factors make it less likely he will have a well-paying job as an adult. $512 will provide Darwin with growth monitoring, food supplements, and deworming medication. All measures will be taken to help him grow, develop both mentally and physically, and overcome malnutrition. Both of his parents are eager to learn how to make simple changes to their son's diet to help him grow and develop as he should. They will receive nutrition education so they can learn how to best feed Darwin, even with the little resources they have. If he receives treatment now, he will be able to have normal mental and physical development, giving him a better chance to be a successful student and to one day be qualified for a well-paying job. His mother shares with us, "I want to do everything possible so that my son grow up normally and become a good student in the future."