Yabsra is a 7-year-old student from Ethiopia. He is outgoing, intelligent, active, and excels in school and football. Yabsra is an only child and lives with his mother. She farms a small piece of land and sells tea to make ends meet but shared that her income is insufficient to meet her family’s expenses and medical bills. Yabsra was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction and the future risk of infertility. Due to financial constraints, his mother was unable to afford surgery for Yabsra before now, which caused her great sadness and distress. She continued to visit various hospitals and learned about our medical partner. Nervous about the journey, Yabsra and his mother were able to travel with three other patients to our medical partner’s hospital. Fortunately, our medical partner is able to help Yabsra receive treatment. On February 13th, he will undergo corrective surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Yabsra’s mom said, “I hope he will heal, become educated, and lead a good and quality life. When I ask him, ‘What do you want to be?’ the answer is a doctor. When I ask him why, he says: ‘I want to heal people who are sick.’ I wish to see that his dreams come true.”

Elizabeth, who is seven months old, lives with her parents and two older brothers in a small house in Haiti, that they share with other relatives. Both of her parents are farmers. Elizabeth has a cardiac condition called atrioventricular septal defect. A large hole exists in the center of her heart, which affects all four of the heart's chambers. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving Elizabeth weak and unable to gain weight. Elizabeth will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. As she is too small and weak to undergo major surgery to completely correct her condition, on April 9th she will have a procedure, during which the doctors at Hospital CEDIMAT will implant a shunt, that will allow oxygenated blood to circulate through her body. This will stabilize Elizabeth's condition so that she can continue to grow and gain weight until she can more safely undergo a complete repair in several years. While another organization is contributing money to pay for Elizabeth's surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking your help to fund the $1,500 needed to cover the costs of Elizabeth's pre and post-operative care and for the documents and travel costs for Elizabeth, her family, and the social workers that will accompany the family. Elizabeth's mother said: "Our daughter's heart condition has been very stressful for our family, and we are very thankful to know that there may be a way to solve it!"

Kennedy is a teenager from Kenya. He has an older sibling who lives with his parents, and Kennedy lives with his grandparents and some of his cousins. Kennedy's father was a security guard but had to stop working due to a chronic disease that has kept him in and out of the hospital for many years now. As a result, Kennedy's mother is the family's sole provider. She has a small kiosk she uses as a hotel at a local garage. Kennedy's family has national health insurance coverage, but have not been able to get coverage for his needed treatment. Kennedy was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at birth, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. Because of this condition, Kennedy has been experiencing severe headaches and convulsions with loss of mobility from the left arm. Kennedy underwent two shunt insertion surgeries, but the shunt failed. He has been admitted to the High Dependency Unit at our medical partner's hospital for a few days now. Kennedy now needs to undergo a different surgery to help drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid in order for him to recover and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Kennedy will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Kennedy to treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 16th. Kennedy's grandmother says, "It is very depressing for me as I have to bring him to the hospital every now and then. I want him to be treated and go back to his better condition."