Emmanuel is a 14-month-old boy who lives with his parents and two siblings in a single-room rental house in Kenya. “A few days after Emmanuel’s birth, his mother noticed that his urethral orifice was abnormally placed,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “It was after sharing this problem with a friend that she was advised to seek specialized treatment for her son, which she did. This came with a discovery that Emmanuel has hypospadias, and the treatment he needs would cost money that the family could not raise.” In males with hypospadias, the urethral opening is on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip. The abnormal location of the urethral opening causes difficulty passing urine and an irregular stream. “If not treated,” AMHF explains, “Emmanuel is likely to experience urinary tract infections and infertility in future.” Treatment for Emmanuel is hypospadias repair, a procedure in which a surgeon takes tissue grafts from the foreskin or from the lining of the mouth to extend the length of the urethra so that it opens at the tip of the penis. $655 covers the costs of surgery and a 10-day hospital stay, including blood tests and medicine. Emmanuel’s parents are contributing $50 to help cover additional costs associated with his care. After treatment, AMHF shares that “Emmanuel will be able to pass urine normally, and the risk of urinary tract infections will be reduced."

“Thank you so much for this support, for keeping my daughter in your heart,” says Ingrid's mother. Ingrid is a 23-month-old girl from Guatemala who is acutely malnourished. “She is much too small for her age since she has not had access to a diverse and caloric diet,” explains our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). “Her diet has not only made her unable to gain weight, but has left her immune system too weak to fight off illnesses such as diarrhea, fevers, and cough--which can be lethal in a child like Ingrid that has a compromised immune system.” WK goes on to say, “Ingrid’s mother is worried because she noticed that she gets sick more often than the other children in the neighborhood.” Indigenous Guatemalans are one of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the world. They live in rural areas and suffer from high rates of food insecurity. The poorest indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of stunting in the world. $512 will fund a multifaceted treatment for Ingrid's malnutrition. WK explains, “This treatment will greatly improve Ingrid's quality of life. She will receive food supplementation, deworming medication, growth monitoring, and micronutrients that will help her grow and develop healthily. Ingrid’s parents will also receive intense nutrition education so they feel empowered to give her the varied diet she needs." Ingrid is the youngest of five children. She loves to play with her older siblings and her older sister's doll. Let's help her get back track so that she can reach a positive growth trajectory.

“Petrona has been having convulsions almost her whole life, preventing her from attending school, and getting a job outside her home. She gets convulsions a couple times a week, on average,” shares our medical partner Wuqu’ Kawoq. Petrona is an 18-year-old woman who lives in Guatemala with her family. “She loves to ride her bike, eat chocolate, and play with her younger siblings,” says Wuqu’ Kawoq. Petrona has epilepsy, and gets frequent and unexpected seizures. “This makes her parents fearful of doing things with her outside their home. They do not let Petrona leave the house alone, because she could have a convulsion and seriously hurt herself. This has left her mother to have to stay at home with her all the time to make sure she is okay and doesn't have a seizure," continues Wuqu' Kawoq. Her father’s crops haven’t found much success lately, and thus, the family does not have a consistent and stable income. Treatment and management for Petrona’s epilepsy will cost $967, which includes medication and regular doctor appointments. Petrona told our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq that “I would be happy to finally be able to learn how to read and write, to get married and have a family, and to start my own business raising chickens.”

Meet Namayani, a baby girl born in mid-March who lives with her family in Tanzania. "Namayani was born with a lesion on her lower back, which is leaking cerebrospinal fluid," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), reports. "She also has hydrocephalus." As many as 90% of children with spina bifida also present with hydrocephalus. Spina bifida is a neural tube defect where part of the tube fails to develop properly, causing defects in the spine. Hydrocephalus occurs when there is a build-up of fluid in the brain, causing the head to swell. Because Namayani has both conditions, she is in need of treatment to prevent her head from increasing in size, as well as to protect her from contracting infections. If she goes untreated, "Namayani could end up blind or completely disabled," says AMHF. Though she's living with two serious conditions, Namayani is a sweet and quiet baby. "She is feeding well and only cries when hungry, wet, or held in a position which is uncomfortable," AMHF shares. To treat both of her conditions, Namayani will undergo surgery to repair the spine defect and will need a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt to drain the excess fluid from the brain to to the abdomen. The procedures, and her hospital stay, will cost $1,200. After treatment, Namayani will no longer be at risk of contracting an infection, and her head will cease to swell. Her parents, who have seven other children, are concerned for their new baby, and are eager to get the correct treatment for their daughter. "We just hope that our daughter will get well and grow up like other children," Namayani's father shares.

Lorn is a 70-year-old mother and grandmother from Cambodia who has two sons, three daughters, and 10 grandkids. She loves visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray. Due to cataracts that developed two months ago, Lorn can no longer go outside alone because of her blurred vision, irritation, and fear of sunshine. Lorn traveled three hours to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) to seek treatment. Her daughter explains, “I hope my Mom can see everything normally after the procedure.” $225 will cover the cost of a small-incision cataract surgery and an intraocular implant. CSC explains, “After the surgery, Lorn will see clearly again.”

Gidion is a two-year-old boy living in Tanzania with his parents and four siblings. “He used to be very active; he enjoyed playing with wooden cars, mud and running around with other children,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Gidion was born without any problems. He was growing well – able to crawl, sit, stand and walk. When he turned twenty months, he got sick. He was severely vomiting and lost his appetite,” shares AMHF. “He was taken to different hospitals and was treated only to get some relieve and then back to being sick again. Slowly Gidion lost his ability to walk and, “The last two months his mother noticed the circumference of his son’s head was increasing. He now has trouble supporting his head. If not treated, Gidion’s health will continue to deteriorate; he will lose his eyesight and completely become dependent,” adds AMHF. He developed hydrocephalus, a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. Treatment will cost a total of $775, and consists of draining the CSF buildup. Gidion will be able to get surgery, recover in the hospital for five days, and stay at a rehabilitation center for two weeks. Gidion’s parents are small scale farmers and cannot afford the cost of this surgery. AMHF expects that after surgery, “Gidion’s head circumference will not continue to increase, he will retain his vision and he may be able to walk again.” “I pray that my son will get well, be active again, and continue to grow up normally like his siblings,” says Gidion’s mother.