Alexander is a two-year-old boy from the Philippines. Alexander's father is a laborer. The family shares electricity and water with their neighbors. Alexander has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. He began $268 malnutrition treatment on October 18, 2016. Alexander 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.

Rolando is a 2-year-old boy with a cleft lip and palate. Because of his condition, Rolando has trouble eating and breathing. He has already been treated for pneumonia several times, and if left untreated Rolando will continue to be at risk for serious respiratory infection. Given the remote location of Rolando’s home village, this could be fatal. Fortunately, Floating Doctors can arrange for Rolando to get the treatment he needs. With surgery, they believe Rolando can grow up normally. Rolando is from an indigenous area of Panama. His mother is tirelessly devoted to him and his three siblings, but they live on less than $1.60 per day. Just the cost of traveling to the mainland of Panama is prohibitive for them. To get Rolando the care he needs, Floating Doctors will cross two bodies of water and a 5,000 foot-tall mountain range. We are honored to support their work and look forward to covering the cost of Rolando’s treatment.