Esufat is a three-month-old boy from Tanzania living with hydrocephalus, a serious condition that causes accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. As his head grows in size due to the fluid, Esufat may become blind and unable to perform many normal activities. Esufat’s parents cannot cover the cost of any medical treatments. His father is a casual laborer, and his mother grows vegetables in their small family garden to sell to neighbors. They say, “God has given us a son whom we have been praying for, for many years. Now it is our prayer that he will get proper treatment and resume normal growth.” For $850, Esufat will receive a procedure that will drain the excess fluid from his brain. Let’s help Esufat resume his normal growth and grow up to be a healthy, happy child.

Muhamad is 12-years-old and lives in Ethiopia with his parents and two younger siblings. Eight months ago, Muhamad fell and developed an infection in his right leg that worsened and spread to the bone. Muhamad can now barely walk, even with the help of crutches. As a result, he now stays home from school with his father as he farms and tends to the family's animals. Muhamad is very smart and outgoing. He misses playing soccer with his friends. With our support of $815, he will receive bone graft surgery that will allow him to walk again and return to school.

Ten-week-old Careen is a fighter. Like all infants, she has been learning tons of new skills to survive in her life outside of the womb. Currently, she is unable to feed and sleep normally owing to an external protrusion of her brain through an opening of her skull which failed to close completely during her fetal development. Without surgery, Careen could experience developmental delay, vision problems, mental and growth retardation, seizures, and even premature death. Careen’s mother is a determined young woman who was abandoned by her family when she learned she was pregnant. Her love for Careen was as strong then as it is now, and she wants nothing more than to see her baby grow up healthy and strong. She needs $850 for the surgery that will save Careen’s life. Let’s show these ladies our support!

Tha Zin is a nine-year-old girl from Burma, the setting of the world's longest-running civil war. Tha Zin was diagnosed with an orbital pseudotumor when she was six. Her parents took her to Yangon, the former capital of Burma, for surgery. Unfortunately, something went wrong in surgery, and afterwards Tha Zin's eye was even more swollen than before. For the next two years, Tha Zin's parents went into debt traveling to the capital every two weeks to get medication to manage their daughter's condition. Her eye has still not improved, and she's missed a year of school as a result. Quality medical care is scarce in Burma, but Burma Border Projects' partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, can facilitate Tha Zin's care in Thailand. It will cost $1500 to coordinate Tha Zin's surgery, which will either restore function to her eye, or remove it and enable her to continue with school. BCMF writes, "When we ask Tha Zin what she wants when she is older, she is very shy and does not say anything. However, later she comes up to a staff member and tells him that she would like to be a doctor." Let's help make that possible!

Johnson is a 2-month-old baby boy who was born with esophageal atresia, a disorder of the digestive system which causes his esophagus (feeding tube) not to extend all the way to his stomach like it's supposed to. Instead, Johnson's esophagus opens into his windpipe. He can't eat without food particles ending up in his lungs and causing pneumonia. Johnson cannot live with this condition. Right now, he is feeding through a tube in his stomach. He needs tracheoesophageal fistula surgery to repair his esophagus and close it off from his trachea and lungs, enabling him to eat and breathe normally. A staff member at Arusha Lutheran Medical Center in Tanzania, where Johnson is hospitalized, says, "Johnson's mother, Anna, simply hopes that her infant son will live. He is 2 months old and fighting for his life. The father works as a mason and Anna is a housewife, so they don't have enough money for the surgery." ALMC is the only medical center in the region with a surgeon capable of performing the operation Johnson needs to survive. It will take $1000 to cover the cost of Johnson's treatment, which will be life-saving. Let's help Johnson get access to the medical care he needs to live.

In 1992, when Rose was only 3 years old, politically instigated riots broke out in the small village in Kenya where she and her family lived. With her parents and siblings all at home, their small house was set ablaze. Sadly, only Rose and her mother made it out alive. Rose incurred severe body burns. Good samaritans rushed her to a nearby hospital where she received emergency medical attention. However, she was unable to get any further surgical assistance due to a lack of finances. It’s been 21 years, and Rose’s body is still deformed due to scaring. Her burned skin is uncomfortable, causes pain, and will eventually lead to permanent disability. Surgery is her best chance at a normal life, but as an employee in a small shop, she can only afford $1000 of her catastrophic medical costs. If we can raise the remaining $1500 needed, African Mission Healthcare Foundation can provide Rose with a burn contracture release and reconstruction surgery. Rose told Watsi's coordinator at AMHF that she "desires to settle down and raise a family," and this treatment can give her the chance.