Meet Fatuma, a 39-year-old woman who lives in Uganda with her husband and six children. Both she and husband are farmers. They use their income to pay for their children's primary school education. In 2012, Fatuma developed a swelling on her right armpit. She was diagnosed with a lipoma, a fatty lump between the skin and underlying muscle. She was advised to undergo surgery, but she could not afford treatment. The swelling grew in size, becoming so big that she could not lift heavy items or dig. Fortunately, Fatuma visited our medical partner's care center, Holy Family Virika Hospital. On December 7, surgeons removed the lipoma. $196 will cover all medical expenses associated with this procedure, including a three-day stay in the hospital. After recovery, Fatuma hopes continue farming to grow food and support her family.

Chhunly is a 76-year-old woman with five sons, three daughters, and twenty grandchildren. She likes to watch Khmer and Thai dramas on TV and listen to monks pray on the radio. Two months ago, Chhunly developed a cataract in each eye, causing her blurred vision and itching. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, working, and going anywhere on her own. When Chhunly learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On November 25, doctors performed a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, Chhunly will be able to see clearly again. Now, she needs help to fund this $292 procedure. "I hope to be able to see everything clearly, so that I can watch TV and do some work around the home," she says. "I also want to walk to the pagoda by myself."

Nine-month-old Jestone lives with his parents and six siblings in a wooden house. They live near a slaughterhouse, which pollutes the surrounding area. His father is a laborer who has difficulty providing for his big family. As a result, Jestone weighs much less than other children his age. Jestone has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. He began $268 malnutrition treatment on October 21. 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 and pray that he can recover from malnutrition and become successful someday," says Jestone's mother.

Rin is an 81-year-old woman who is married with three sons, four daughters, and twenty grandchildren. She likes to go to the pagoda to listen to monks pray and join ceremonies. Rin heard about Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) from a neighbor who had surgery there before. She traveled for one hour with her daughter to reach CSC for treatment. Rin developed a cataract in each eye about six months ago, causing blurred vision. It is difficult for her to see things clearly and go anywhere on her own. $292 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Rin needs to see clearly again. The surgery will consist of an extra-capsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and an intraocular lens (IOL) implant in each eye. Extra-capsular cataract extraction (ECCE) is a category of eye surgery in which the lens of the eye is removed while the elastic capsule that covers the lens is left partially intact to allow implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL). Rin says, "I hope to see everything more clear than now so that I can go to the pagoda or anywhere else outside without needing to disturb another person to take care of me."

Yohane lives in a village in central Malawi. He and his wife have six children and many grandchildren. He farms maize, beans, and Irish potatoes. In addition to farming, Yohane rears cattle and goats, so he stays very busy. For the past three months, Yohane has been experiencing symptoms of an enlarged prostate. This has limited his freedom of movement and ability to do work. Yohane has never known someone to go through this kind of procedure, so when he arrived at the hospital it was the first time he learned about the surgery to treat him. His family agreed that he should have it done, so he has now accepted the surgery. The total cost is $726, which Yohane and his family are unable to afford. After surgery, Yohane is looking forward to returning home to his animals.

"We dream that our daughter can be a good student and an ethical professional one day," shares Tomasa's father. Meet Tomasa, a 23-month-old infant from Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us, “Tomasa is the youngest of three siblings. She lives with her family in a one-room house made of wood with a tin roof. Her mother works taking care of Tomasa and her siblings, and her father works as a day-laborer, only making a couple dollars per day when there is work. Although they want the best for her, they cannot afford to give her even one piece of fruit, vegetable, or egg per day, which makes it impossible for her to overcome her malnutrition without treatment.” Tomasa was diagnosed with acute malnutrition. “Tomasa is below the average height and the average weight for her age,” WK reports, ”She currently is not consuming enough calories and enough quality foods. As a result her physical growth is stunted, and we worry her mental growth will be stunted as well.” As a result of food insecurity and marginalization, indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of stunting in the world. In addition to growth stunting, malnutrition can lead to lower IQ, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. $512 will fund the treatment Tomasa needs to address her nutritional deficit and improve her low energy and subsequent limited mental potential. This involves micronutrient and food supplementation, deworming medication to rid Tomasa of a parasitic infection, and nutrition education for her parents. With these combined efforts, Tomasa will recoup her weight and height and strengthen her immune system, laying the foundation for a healthier future.

"I want to be well and cancer free," shares Eunice, a 31-year-old woman from Kenya. In September 2015 doctors from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), found that Eunice had a precancerous lesion in her cervix. They performed a biopsy procedure and it has been determined that if left untreated Eunice is at risk of developing cervical cancer. Eunice is a wife and mother of three children. She lives with her family in a single-roomed rental house in Kenya. Eunice sells fish while her husband works as a cook to support the family. Their family income is low and they are not able to meet the treatment cost. Eunice is in need of a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove her uterus and reduce her risk of cancer. $800 will fund Eunice's surgery, and a four-day hospital stay to ensure a proper recovery.

"Fredrick is a playful, four-year-old boy from Nairobi. He lives with his parents. His mother is a tailor while his father works as a shop attendant," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "The family lives in a single rental house on a larger urban estate. Due to their low income base, Fredrick's father supplements their income by selling fruits within their estate." "Fredrick is a playful boy but due to poor sound perception, he is not able to communicate as efficiently as any other 4 year old child," continues AMHF. "He had fluid-like discharge from his ears in December 2015, prompting his parents to bring him to our facility. The doctor advised Fredrick’s mother to get hearing aids." Fredrick's ear drainage is caused by a perforated left ear drum, a condition known as otorrhea. "If not assisted with the hearing aids, Fredrick may have poor performance academically and even socially as he grows up," explains AMHF. With $208, Fredrick can receive proper hearing aids to prevent further damage and allow progression of his development. Fredrick’s mother shares, “I want my child to have the hearing aids and be able to lead a normal life."

Dickson is a 75-year-old father and grandfather who farms tobacco in Malawi. He came to our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM), seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate gland. “Dickson's enlarged prostate has led to urinary incontinence, an embarrassing and inconvenient symptom,” WAM tells us. “He is occasionally unable to go to work in the garden due to his condition.” The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. An enlarged prostate—known as benign prostatic hyperplasia—is a common condition in older men due to hormonal changes. As the prostate gets larger, it squeezes the urethra, causing problems with urination. Typical symptoms include difficulty starting or stopping urination, weak urine streams, and inability to empty the bladder. For $742, Dickson will undergo surgery—transurethral resection of the prostate—in which doctors insert an instrument into the urethra to remove the part of his prostate that is blocking urine flow. After surgery, a catheter will be inserted temporarily to remove urine from the bladder. When the urine is free of blood or blood clots, the catheter will be removed, and Dickson can urinate on his own. Funding for Dickson also pays for a three-night hospital stay, lab tests, medicine, and transportation to and from the hospital for him and two caregivers. “Following surgery,” says WAM, “Dickson is expected to have his catheter removed and make a full recovery.”

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.

Mayda, a 10-year-old girl from Guatemala, is the fourth of seven children. "Mayda's father works as a farm hand, harvesting coffee on their neighbor's plantation," our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us. “Mayda’s mother cooks, cleans, takes care of the children, and helps harvest coffee.” Two years ago, Mayda underwent successful surgery for a heart murmur, which was funded by Watsi. Recently, she was also diagnosed with epilepsy. Mayda was doing well until last December. "She came home one day from school with a note from the school nurse saying that she had a seizure that lasted several minutes,” WK explains. “She had lost consciousness and did not remember anything. Since then she has had two more seizures at home." Because of these seizures and the resulting symptoms, Mayda has been unable to attend school. With $967, Mayda can receive the medical care and anticonvulsant medications that she requires for a healthier life. She will receive a brain MRI and other diagnostic workup for preliminary testing. She will also receive anti-epileptic medication to control her spastic episodes and to improve her mobility and independence. With treatment, “Mayda will gain control of her body,” WK continues. “This will increase her quality of life and put her on track to receive the education she deserves and live a healthy and productive life.” "We want her to grow well and be healthy,” Mayda’s parents share. “She has already been through so much with her surgery and now her seizures. We just want her to get better."

Meet Esther, a 46-year-old mother of four from Kenya. A year ago, Esther noticed increasing pain accompanied by irregular and heavy menses. "Esther was diagnosed with early cancer of the cervix," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "Esther is married and they have four children. Both Esther and her husband are farmers. Only their first born who could not make it to college after school works as a waiter in a hotel," continues AMHF. "The income for this family is inadequate to cover the cost of treatment." Ester needs a total abdominal hysterectomy - a surgical procedure that removes both the uterus and the cervix through an incision in the lower abdomen. "If not treated, the cancer may advance and spread to other organs," says AMHF. With a donation of $790, Esther can receive the surgery that she needs. She shares, “My dream is to start my own small business of selling old clothes. I pray for Watsi assistance and a successful surgery."