Anitha is a beautiful six-year-old child from Tanzania. She is the only child to her mother, who is a single parent. Her mother shared that Anitha's father left their family when Anitha was a baby and Anitha herself has never met him. Her mother helps her aunt in a small vegetable garden, where they grow tomatoes and sell them an open market. Whatever they can earn is what they use for their basic needs. Anitha has clubfoot of both her feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty with walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Anitha traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 5th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Anitha's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk more easily and play with her friends. Anitha’s mother shared, “All I wish for my daughter is to see her walk normally so that she can pursue her studies and have a better life.”

Jane is a 65-year-old farmer from Kenya. She lives in a 3 room house that is built on their ancestral home in South Kinangop. Her husband passed on in 2004. Together, they had 4 children, all of whom are now adults. Jane does small scale farming mainly for home use, and does not have a source of income. Currently, none of her children have stable employment, and are unable to financially support Jane for the care that she needs. Jane has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $857 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Jane. The procedure is scheduled to take place on December 9th. After treatment, Jane will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Jane shared, "I thought the itching on my breast was just normal but I was wrong. It has turned out to be cancer which I know can cause death if not controlled. Doctors say I need this surgery to help stop its spread, but I know I cannot afford it."

Hoeun is a 77-year-old fish seller from Cambodia. She has five children, ten grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. Six months ago, Hoeun developed a cataract in each eye, causing her blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Hoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On January 15th, doctors will perform a small incision 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 $425 procedure. "I hope that I will be able to see better and can go outside and recognize things again," she said.

Sinzo is a cheerful girl from Tanzania. She is seven years old and is the youngest in her family of seven children. Her parents separately when she was about three years old and she has been living with her mother ever since. Sinzo has a mass on the left side of her chest, which has caused her pain, and she shared makes her feel sad and crying when the pain starts. When she is not feeling the pain, she always wants to help her mother with home chores like washing dishes and cooking. Sinzo also wants to play with other kids, but from past experiences her mother says other kids pick on her and most of the time hurt her, so she prefers she stay home. She said she does this trying to protect her from the discrimination she is going through. Due to this her mother also decided not to take her to school since she doesn't want her daughter to be discriminated against. Sinzo's condition is congenital as her mother shared that she was born with a small swelling on the left side of her chest too. The doctors at the local hospital where she was delivered advised them not to worry and give her time to grow so that they can see if there is a need for surgery. When she was two years old, her mass had grown significantly and made Sinzo really uncomfortable and caused her a lot of pain. Her mother tried to ask Sinzo's father to find means to take her to hospital, but she shared that the father never showed any plans or took action. Sinzo's mother kept asking for the father’s support, but this lead to violence in their family and eventually Sinzo's mother decided to leave her husband’s home. She left with Sinzo and moved back to her parents’ home. Sinzo's mother depends on small-scale farming to be able to support herself and her daughter. Sinzo's mother says she has tried seeking help for her daughter from their local hospital but they were sent to the referral hospital and with very little income she has never been able to do so. Through our Medical Partner's outreach team, they learned of Sinzo's condition and helped connect her to treatment. She has now been scheduled for surgery and her mother is requesting funding support. Sinzo’s mother says, “It hurts me to see my daughter in this state, please help fund my daughter’s treatment cost as I am not able to find such an amount of money.”

Savet is a 35-year-old food seller from Cambodia. She and her husband have one daughter together and they sell duck eggs both on the street and from their home in the city. When Savet is not working, she practices making clothes for her daughter, and enjoys watching movies. Five years ago, Savet had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in both ears to perforate. For this reason, Savet experiences hearing loss, tinnitus and discharge. She cannot communicate clearly with others, and she has spent money on medications that have had little effect. Savet traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On September 9th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in both ears. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforations. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $913 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Savet said, "I really hope that after surgery, I will hear a little better and not have any problems with tinnitus. I hope that I can hear my daughter's voice well."

Ye lives with his wife and daughter on the Thai-Burma border. He used to work as a carpenter but had to stop working two years ago when his health deteriorated. His wife is a homemaker and his daughter works as a vendor selling mobile phones. Her monthly income of 10,000 baht (approx. 335 USD) is just enough to cover their family's daily needs. In the beginning of 2018, Ye started to experience swelling in his hands and feet, pain in his lower back, and difficulty passing urine. At first he thought that it was caused by overworking and would disappear over time. Six months later, when he still felt unwell, Ye finally decided to go see a doctor. He went to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) where the doctor conducted tests and concluded that he had high blood pressure. The doctor also sent him to another hospital for an ultrasound because at that time the ultrasound machine was broken at MSH. When Ye returned to MSH with his ultrasound results, the doctor diagnosed him with stones in both of his kidneys. He was told to drink lots of water and was provided with oral medication. When Ye returned for his follow-up appointment, he received another ultrasound and more oral medication. As his condition went on, he received a catheter in both of his kidneys while admitted at the hospital. Ye kept returning regularly for his follow-up appointments. Up until 2020, he had the catheter replaced a number of times and also asked the doctor twice if he could receive surgery. However, both times the doctor told him that he would have to wait because there were too many patients on the waiting list. Eventually in the beginning of 2020, Ye was scheduled to receive surgery. When he was admitted in the middle of March 2020, he first received treatment for a urinary tract infection before he received surgery to remove the stone from his right kidney. After surgery, Ye had difficulty breathing and was placed in the intensive care unit for four days. By the time he was discharged, he was left with a 127,000 baht (approx. 4,233 USD) hospital bill. Ye paid what he could by selling all their jewelry and using up their saving. However, most of his bill was paid by borrowing money from his relatives in Burma. Before he was discharged, the doctor told him that he will need to receive laser treatment to breakup the stone in his left kidney. However, if the procedure was not successful he would need surgery to remove the stone. His daughter was no longer able to pay for his laser treatment so a nurse at MSH told him to ask for help at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). When Ye went to the clinic and told the medic that they cannot afford to pay for his laser treatment, the medic referred him to Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing further treatment and we now are raising $1500 to support his care. “I am very depressed, and I feel stressed about my health condition. I have used up all my savings for my treatment. Now I have to rely on my daughter’s income and I feel really feel bad as she works hard," said Ye.

Eddy is a student from Kenya. He is in the seventh grade and the firstborn in a family of three children. His mother is separated from their father which has left her to take charge of her children's upbringing. Eddy likes to play a lot but his condition is hindering him from playing and it has become a concern for his mother. Eddy was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Fortunately, Eddy is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on July 7th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $710 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Eddy's mother shared, "I have struggled with my son since he was a few weeks old. I have seen him struggle with his social life and hope I can get him help and pray that this time his surgery will be successful. He is my firstborn and my hope for the family."

Anna is a farmer from Kenya. Anna previously worked as a cook in a private primary school located in her village. Her occupational options are now extremely limited after she was let go due to hard economic times. Anna currently does maize farming in her parent’s land. She also does casual jobs across the village like working in other people’s farms to earn a living. Anna lives in a two-roomed iron-roofed house with her mother in the upcountry. Ten days ago, Anna experienced an extremely painful accident after she was involved in a road traffic accident. She was a pedestrian when she was struck by a motorbike which was moving in a high speed. She sustained multiple severe injuries, left multiple rib fractures with a pneumothorax and lower lip full-thickness laceration. She is in severe pain and now cannot walk. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On June 10th, Anna will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help her heal well and she will be able to walk easily again Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,065 to fund this procedure. Anna says, “My hope is to be healed get out of hospital bed and be on my foot again so that I can continue with my daily duties."

Penninah is a manual laborer from Kenya. She is a mother of four children, whom she has raised alone after her husband left her. The children are now grown up; the firstborn is 32 years of age while the last born is 18 years old. Penninah did not go to secondary school and so her life has been a difficult one, doing any manual job such as cleaning clothes for neighbors. Her children are also manual workers. Four years ago, Penninah began to experience troubling symptoms, including headaches, dry cough and difficulty in swallowing and feeling like choking at night. She was diagnosed with a multinodular goitre, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Penninah receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on May 11th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $688, and she and her family need help raising money. “Whenever darkness comes I fear how I am going to sleep because of choking. I kindly seek for help. I hope my treatment will be successful so that I can regain my normal life,” said Penninah.

Cyrus is a businessman from Kenya and the father of four children. He sells second-hand clothes to make a living. His wife takes up small jobs to complement his income. He was involved in a road accident as a pillion passenger while rushing home to avoid trouble with the police during the current COVID-19 curfew in the country. While riding a motorcycle, they lost control as they were trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian. He suffered a closed femur fracture and was rushed to the hospital. He is in pain and cannot walk. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 7th, Cyrus will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk easily again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,451 to fund this procedure. Cyrus says, “I am in great pain and worried of the financial cost required. Kindly help me. I look forward to continue providing for my children.”