Thavong is a determined 15-year-old girl. She's the oldest of four children in her family, with two younger brothers and one little sister. Thavong is a hard-working 6th grader, who enjoys reading books and listening to music when she's home. Her father earns a living as a policeman. Three months ago, Thavong developed a chalazion in her left eye, causing her itchiness and irritation. A chalazion is an inflamed cyst in a patient's tear gland. As a result, it has become progressively more difficult for her to see clearly, concentrate, and study. When Thavong's family heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for one and a half hours to seek treatment. Fortunately, on February 24th, surgeons at our medical partner's care center, Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, will remove the cyst through a chalazion excision procedure. After recovery, Thavong will no longer have to live with the uncomfortable symptoms of her chalazion, and will be able to see clearly again. Our medical partner is asking for $187 to help fund Thavong's procedure. Thavong says, "I hope after surgery my eye improves so I can return to school and not worry about my eye anymore."

Magret is a small-scale farmer and a loving mother of seven. She lost her husband twenty-five years ago. On her own, she managed to put up a three-room mud house to shelter her children. Two years ago, Magret began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling and severe pain while swallowing. She was diagnosed with a Non-Toxic Nodular Goitre and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Magret receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 18th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Magret says, "My family and I cannot afford the surgery, yet I hope to get well. I desire to live a normal life again. I request the donors support my surgery so that I may be able to live a better and more productive life."

Demetria is a peanut-butter maker from the Philippines. Demetria was diagnosed with cholecystitis 10 years ago and advised by her doctor to undergo surgery, but due to financial constraints, she opted to self-medicate using herbal medicines. This served as a temporary relief to her symptoms, but now these have worsened over time, and during the past 2 weeks, she started experiencing intolerable pain and difficulty keeping food down. With age and her worsening symptoms, Demetria is not capable of earning income to support her medical treatment. She shared that she and her husband rely on their granddaughter who works as an online tutor, to support their daily needs. Fortunately, Demetria was referred to our medical partner and is now scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on April 7th. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,253 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. After her recovery, Demetria will no longer experience severe pain in her abdomen or be at risk of other complications in the future. “Once the surgery is done, I hope to go back to doing my small peanut butter-making business so I can help sustain our daily needs like I used to before," Demetria shared. "Thank you so much WSFP and Watsi for all your help,” she added.