Ignitius is a 12-year-old boy - the second in a family of four siblings in junior secondary school, grade seven. His elder sibling has just completed class eight; the rest are in primary school. He dropped out of school in grade four and went to look for a job as a house helper to support the family. Ignitius' father does any casual job available to bring food to the table for his family. Ignitius' mother is also a simple laborer. She works on other people's farms where she digs, weeds, and sometimes washes clothes for a small wage. They have a small piece of land where they have kept two goats and three chickens. They reside in a three-roomed timber house and have a small kitchen built of poles. It was late in the evening on November 16th. His mother sent him to the nearest open-air market to buy cabbage and potatoes. Unfortunately, he was hit by a speeding motorbike, which disappeared immediately after the accident. His parents were informed of the accident over the phone. They rushed him to a clinic, where they were referred to Maua Hospital. He arrived to the hospital with an open tibia fibular fracture and was in much pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Ignitius receive treatment. On November 17, surgeons will perform surgery to restore his limb function. Now, Ignitius and his family need help to fund this $741 procedure. Ignitius' father says, "Please help my son; he is in deep pain. Kindly help us to fund the surgery costs."

Lezina is a 51-year-old woman with 3 children. She separated from her husband who later remarried and shared that she believes he left because of her medical condition. All her children are women and they got married at a tender age due to financial challenges in their family. Currently, Lezina has found it difficult to secure even a low-paying job as a maid. Lezina likes chatting with her grandchildren and enjoys eating anything that is available. Lezina indicated that she started experiencing a swelling above the umbilical area in 2020. She lived with the problem since it was on and off and was not associated with pain. Later in 2023, the swelling episodes became frequent and it began to affect her daily activities. Lezina presented herself to Kamuzu Central Hospital where different tests were done, without much help. As time passed by, in December 2023 she had increasing pains and went back to KCH where further assessments were done, and a diagnosis of hernia was made after identifying the source of pain. KCH booked Lezina on their waiting list. While still waiting, her first-born daughter met a friend who shared the good news that she was a beneficiary of Watsi's program with our partner African Mission Healthcare and recommended aher to report to PIH Hospital for support. Lezina met the surgeon at PIH who confirmed the diagnosis of hernia and the need for surgical intervention called hernia repair. A hernia is a condition in which soft tissue bulges through a weak point in the abdominal muscle. If the hernia is left untreated, the size of the protruding intestine might get bigger and become strangulated leading to the reduction of blood flow to the surrounding tissues which may be life-threatening. Lezina was referred to our program due to her financial instability. Her daughter committed to helping support her treatment and Lezina believes that the surgery will help her get back to normal life and that people will now have a different perception of her. Lezina needs your help raising $575 to fund her surgery. Lezina happily said, “I just want to get well and concentrate on my children.”

Kunthea is a 35-year-old homemaker from Cambodia. She moved back home to a rural area in Kampong Thom province after being unable to find work in Phnom Penh City during the pandemic. She lives there with her parents and a younger brother. Her father is a fisherman and her mother is a homemaker. She has six sisters who are married and live nearby to help her care for her parents. At home, she spends her time cooking, cleaning the house, and occasionally babysitting the children of her sisters. One year ago, Kunthea had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear to perforate. For this reason, Kunthea experiences pain, purulent ear discharge, and hearing loss. She often has headaches and cannot sleep well at night. She cannot communicate clearly with others and it is difficult to hear someone when they are talking to her, which she shared makes her embarrassed. Kunthea traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 13th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Kunthea shared: "I hope I will have a healthy ear drum, not worry about disease going into my brain and have improved hearing as well."